Copyrighting Your Own Work

Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is “created” when it is fixed in copy for the first time. 

“Copies” are material objects from which a work can be read or visually perceived either directly or with a machine or device, such as books, manuscripts, sheet music, film, videotape, microfilm or similar materials. 

The copyright notice should contain all the following three elements: The symbol © (the letter C in a circle) or the word “copyright,” the year of first publication of the work, and the name of the owner of the copyright in the work, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner. 

Example: © 2024 John Doe 

If you are interested in learning more, visit the U.S. Copyright Office website at: copyright.gov