Add Watermark To Legal Minnesota Music Forms For Free

Registering Your Work Although your work is protected by copyright from the moment it is fixed, you can register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office for additional benefits, including for U.S. works, access to federal courts in the case of infringement.

Your song's music and lyrics are protected by copyright as soon as you record them, even if it's just a rough recording on your cell phone. But to get the full benefit of copyright protection, including the right to sue people for infringing your copyright, you must register it with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Usually, all expressions are automatically covered by copyright protection. Since there is no standard rule as to what can or cannot be considered as an expression, a legal document can easily pass that test to be covered by the copyright law.

There are three basic requirements for copyright protection: that which is to be protected must be a work of authorship; it must be original; and it must be fixed in a tangible medium of expression. What is a work of authorship?

Registration Allows YOU to Protect Your Music It means that the other side bears the burden of proof to prove that the work is not yours. Once your copyright is registered, you are able legally protect your work in court. Without registration, you are not able to seek compensation for any cases of infringement.

Copyright registration and certificate: Once the copyright office receives your application, they will review it and process it. If everything is in order, they will issue a copyright registration certificate, which serves as proof of ownership and protection for your song.