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"Backer, Corinne" wrote:
> Trish wrote:
> ..Another common and extremely cheap and easy way to copyright your stuff
> is to simply stuff it into an envelope and mail it to yourself. DON'T OPEN
> THE ENVELOPE, when it comes in. It's the postmark that proves that you were
> the first to smith those words...
[...]
> Questions:
> 1. In your opinion, do I need to worry about officially applying for
> copyrights? (I'm in the US)
> 2. If I don't go through the official gov't process, would Trish's method
> cover us in a dispute?
Sorry to "piggyback" off of your response, Corinne, but I
didn't see Trish's reply and I wanted to comment. I am no
lawyer, but I am, in my off-hours, a songwriter. That has
nothing to do with anything except that I've looked into
the "poor man's copyright" (method described by Trish) and
would -never- trust my songs to it. All of the industry
reps with whom I've spoken -strongly- recommend using the
"real" copyright process and avoiding the mail-it-to-
yourself method. It's not expensive, it's easier than it
sounds, and it will -definitely- hold up in court.