: Re: Do I need to register my work to retain copyright? What are the legal issues when submitting work to publishers? is there a risk of having my work stolen? How can you protect yourself from

@Vandalay250

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In the U.S. and other Berne Convention signatories, you own the copyright in a creative work as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form (e.g., a computer file). You do not need to register to have a valid copyright. However, you do need to register before you can file suit against someone for copyright infringement. You do not need to have registered before the infringement occurred, but if you did not, your claim is limited to your actual damages.

Registration is considered prima facie evidence that you own the copyright, which means that the court will consider you the owner of the work unless compelling evidence to the contrary is offered.

BTW, mailing yourself a copy of your manuscript does not hold up in court because it does not provide evidence of authorship of the work, merely of its existence at a particular time, and not even strong evidence of that (since you can mail unsealed envelopes, steam them open and reseal them, etc.).

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