Copyright Issues in Teaching with Technology

Copyright Registration
A work does not have to be published to be covered by copyright. Almost anything you create (see the exceptions above) automatically receives copyright protection as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form. Nor does the work have to be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. The catch is that if the work is not registered and an infringement occurs, you are only eligible to recover actual damages. If the work is registered at the time of an infringement, you may be awarded statutory damages instead and recover all attorney fees, which can be substantial. Statutory damages can be a much greater amount. (See below.)

Works of any significance that may be compelling to others probably should be registered. The registration fee is quite reasonable (currently $30), and all the necessary forms and instructions may be downloaded from the Copyright Office web site via a web browser and an Adobe Acrobat reader.

Previous | Contents | Next