: 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

@Jamie945

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I am not a lawyer, my post comes from my experience working in the publishing world. It's also only what I know of the US copyright laws, not any international ones.

Purchasing a copyright isn't required. You own the copyright to your work, no matter what. The "poor man's copyright" (mailing yourself a seal copy of the manuscript) is no longer a valid way to prove copyright. If the manuscript in question is published, the contract you sign with your publisher is all the proof you need to prove that it's your intellectual property.

If you decide not to register your copyright with the US Copyright Office, you can't recover court costs. You can recover damages for the actual violation, but not any legal fees incurred pursuing the case. (Meaning lawyer fees, general court costs, etc.)

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