Learn what copyrights you need to obtain, if any at all, to protect your original works of art. The internet makes it easy for people to copy your photographs.
As soon as you take a photo it is already copyrighted. You do not need to fill out any additional paperwork or pay any fees. You own copyrights to the photo. The duration of the copyright is the author’s lifetime plus 70 years.
For extra protection you can copyright your work for a low fee of $35 dollars. This extra protection may be worth it in some instances but generally it is not needed for most people. Filing for a copyright will help you get punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages if you filed before the infringement. Check out copyright.gov for more information.
Be aware of the “Fair Use” clause. Typically people are legally allowed to use your photographs for certain purposes. Copying photos is usually permitted for news reporting, editorial use, parody, teaching, research, and personal use. The fair use clause is very vague and is usually decided on a case by case basis. The infringer must show that the use of the photo was fair.
Only copyright the works of art which are very important. The fees to copyright everything will really add up.
Anything posted on the World Wide Web is open for billions of people to see. If you don’t want a picture out there, don’t publish it.
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