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Copyright Music Form
The Copyright Music Form is your First Step to Protecting your Work
Many confuse a copyright music form with an actual copyright. The form is actually what you get from the U. S. Copyright Office when you are ready to register your copyright. It is highly recommended that everyone who writes a piece of music take the time and register their copyright. It is also important to understand that once you've either written or recorded your original music, it is actually copyrighted. In other words you do not actually need to fill out any type of copyright music form in order to have your music copyrighted.
While registering is not the act of copyrighting your work it is very necessary if you plan to file suit for copyright infringement. It is also better to fill out the copyright music form they offer earlier in the life of your music rather than later as the timing of the registration of your copyright can have an impact on the actual awards you can receive should you win your lawsuit. There is also something quite satisfying about having your musical works registered with the copyright office. I can't explain the feeling as it will be different for everyone but if you've written music, you really should see for yourself.
You can find the copyright music form from the U. S. Copyright Office online quite easily. There is more involved than simply filling out the paperwork in order to register your copyright. You must also pay a fee, the actual fee changes so you should make sure you are aware of what the current fee is before sending in your work. An insufficient fee can result in delays. You also must send an actual copy of the music you are registering the copyright on. Your copy may either be the written or recorded music you wish to register but must include everything you wish the registration to cover.
When filling out the copyright music form it is important to provide as many accurate details as possible. While your registration is active the day your application is received you may not actually receive your certificate for several months. Really and truly, as far as government agencies go, this is one of the easier ones to deal with as far as red tape. The procedure in addition to the copyright music form is straight forward and not designed in a manner that would be too easily confusing.
The copyright music form is only one step in the process of registering your music's copyright. While it is an important step if you forget the other steps there will be delays in the registration process. Read the form completely before filling it out and if you are printing your form from the computer, I highly recommend printing more than one copyright music form to insure that you have extras if you make a mistake and in order to register your future musical copyrights.
Your first copyright registration will be the most nerve wracking. This makes perfect sense when you consider that trying anything new requires some degree of 'anticipation'. It is also likely to be your most thrilling. Even in this particular piece of music ends up being the worst piece you've ever written (most of our first endeavors are our worst) there is a lot to be said about the fact that you've actually taken the steps to insure your future is a great feeling. If your first piece of music sells and is someday published that is wonderful. If not, you are still ready for the next piece and have gone through the process of filling out a music copyright form before so you know what to expect.
US Copyright Lawyer What can a US Copyright Lawyer Do for You that Others Can’t? First a US copyright lawyer can help anyone that is in the United States, they know the laws of the land and the best ways to fight them. A US Copyright Lawyer is here to protect you. That’s right I said YOU, not the neighbor down the road, or someone that lives in the next country but YOU. A US copyright lawyer is there to help you actually file a copyright, advise you and to help you get back what was once yours and sue someone. If you are an American or someone currently living in the United States you will be able to hire a US lawyer, however if you reside out of the states there may be restrictions. In the internet world copyright issues are becoming a big thing and having a US Copyright lawyer behind you can definitely help if you need to fight against someone stealing your work. Copyright lawyers must stay current in all the recent rulings dealing with copyright issues, which means they know their job. Don’t just stick with a lawyer you already had because you’ve used them before. They may have been great at your car accident or your divorce but for copyright issues, you need a lawyer that deals with them. A US copyright attorney can also help you in retrieving money even if you never filed the copyright until after it was stolen or online. This can get a bit tricky when it comes time to prove it though, however if you have a good lawyer this shouldn’t be a problem. A US copyright lawyer will be able to help you copyright any work that you may have, it does cost $20 to file a paper to get the copyright on your work. This does not mean that there is a one time fee of $20 and all your work is safe, actually you must do this with all your work. You are paying per piece, but in the long run if you need to sue someone for using your content they can end up paying $35,000. A US copyright lawyer can help you with this if you live in the United States and the case happened in the states, technically they could help even if it happened internationally but things get a bit more expensive when this happens. Your US copyright lawyer may have already dealt with people stealing content, or maybe celebrity pictures. Recently a big name celebrity had her pictures leaked on the internet, she sued the people that were spreading them and it suddenly stopped. All those websites that had the pictures on them were asked politely to take them down since they were copyrighted and they were gone. That’s what a good US copyright lawyer will do; he/she will be able to prove their case because they know the law. They will have to show proof of when something was taken, said, or documented. In the case of pictures, she was able to show that she had the proofs and that there was no agreement for anyone to use them. Copyright laws have been changing since 1976; however it changes as our technology advances. Lawyers and judges know our needs and are learning every day how to protect them and in order to do that laws are passed and the copyright laws are updated. Granted laws may be different in other countries but the chances are if it happens on US soil, the best representative would be a US copyright lawyer because they have been studying ever since law school. Copyright lawyer salary The Going Rate of a Copyright Lawyer Salary A copyright lawyer salary all depends on how many cases he/she gets. Your average copyright lawyer makes a little under $300 per case, but that is just to register a copyright. Which means that depending on what they are doing for you will determine how much it’ll cost. Now many of these lawyers will offer to have you fill out an online application, which means they aren’t getting paid by hour so it doesn’t hurt your check book. You get what you need done and they go on to the next client. Keep in mind if you are only needing someone to file your copyright this may be a good way to go but in order to protect you from various other types of copyrights you may want to hire a professional. Yes, it’ll cost you a lot more money but you will have everything you need. Don’t be afraid to approach a firm because a copyright lawyer salary seems high, many of them will work with you on payments. Not everyone is rich and they know it, they also know it is the working man that helps them stand tall. After you hear everything that goes into paying the copyright lawyer salary you may wonder why they don’t get paid more. . A copyright lawyer salary is basically just like any regular lawyers, it is all figured out by what they do and what they charge. Every item that they do for you has a set fee, whether it is filing a copyright for you, looking up information, going in to court for you, etc. Some lawyers may even charge by the hour, find out before spending two hours discussing what your problem is. Maybe there is a way you can shorten your story a little. You may find out that your lawyer charges you for him/her going out of town. These little things can add up to big numbers for your lawyer, however you normally know how much after your first visit. If you have any questions on the cost of something ask, don’t be shy it is your money you are spending after all. After reviewing the numbers he gives you, shop around and see what another copyright lawyer may charge you and stick with the one you think is best. Remember best doesn’t mean the copyright lawyer salary that is the highest amount, which can just mean they like to charge huge fees. If you are someone that is actually thinking of pursuing the copyright lawyer field make sure you are up-to-date on all the new laws of copyrighting, so much has changed in the last few years. Now will you be able to live comfortably with a copyright lawyer salary that just depends on you and how many cases you’d be able to pull in. I say finish that law degree or start taking classes in it, there is always someone needing a copyright lawyer. Why not let it be you? Now if you don’t want to hire a copyright lawyer because you’ve heard about the copyright lawyer salary, you may try doing it yourself and be able to save over 75% of what it would normally cost for an attorney. Keep in mind that by hiring a professional you may be saving yourself a headache down the road. While a copyright lawyer salary may seem extreme it is only because they know what they are doing and they are helping you. Which has more experience in the field, you or a copyright lawyer? Now which do you think will make sure you are protected? Remember it is your money that helps keep up that copyright lawyer salary, without you he/she wouldn’t get paid. |