The Patent Station: E-Copyright Your Work (sm)

Law Office of Marc D. Machtinger, Ltd.

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Welcome to the E-Copyright Station^sm!

SAVE $50 in legal fees on
the registration of your work with the
Copyright Office by efficiently transmitting
your information to us online through
our secure channels!

Learn more...

Questions & Answers

What is E-Copyright Your Work^sm?

How does this process work, and what services are included?

What costs are involved?

When do I remit payment?

What are the advantages of Copyright Registration?

Ready to Begin?

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What is E-Copyright Your Work^sm?
This is a feature designed for individuals or businesses who desire affordable legal assistance in protecting a copyrightable work. This process allows the user to retain an experienced attorney in order to receive professional advice and navigate the intricacies of the law when seeking protection. This is not a "do-it-yourself" aide. The expense of retaining an attorney initially is minimal compared to the potential costs of correcting mistakes later. This process allows the user to save in legal fees by reading our information and efficiently transmitting information to us online, enabling us to pass on savings in fees due to time saved.

How does this process work, and what services are included?
Simply follow the 8 steps below and submit the online form to us. Your information will be kept strictly confidential. We will review your information, make sure your interests do not conflict with the interests of any of our current or previous clients, and respond by e-mail with an estimate. You will not be obligated to anything, and you will not incur any fees until you approve our estimate and return our retainer letter with your payment. Our services include preparation and review of your application by an experienced attorney who will contact you directly in order to confirm and clarify your information, review your samples of the work, discuss whether the strategy you are taking makes sense, offer advice on copyright notice matters, file and monitoring the progress of your application, and review the certificate for accuracy. After a conflict check is conducted, we will work with you off line to be sure that your specific needs are met. For more information, feel free to Contact Us.

Costs for filing an application for federal copyright registration using this process:

Our fees for a single application:	$250	*$50 savings off our regular $300*
Mandatory government filing fee:	$30	-
Disbursements including postage, photocopies, etc.:	$20	-
Additional fees may apply for large works, collective works, prosecution of the application if necessary, or other complications.

When do I remit payment?
No initial costs are involved with submitting your request. After your information is submitted, we will contact you by e-mail to provide you with a firm estimate. You are free to either accept or decline the estimate by return e-mail. If you accept, we will forward our retainer letter to you. At that time, you can return the signed letter with your payment by check, or use our online credit card payment system. There are no hidden costs involved.

What are the advantages of Copyright Registration?
Copyright protection is automatically obtained upon creation and fixation in a tangible medium. However, federal copyright registration can greatly broaden your rights by affording you several benefits.

First, registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim. For works of U.S. origin, registration is necessary prior to filing a suit for infringement.

Second, if registration is made before or within 5 years of publication, registration will establish a presumption in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate of registration.

Furthermore, if registration is made within 3 months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney's fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions.

Finally, registration allows the owner of the copyright to record the registration with the U. S. Customs Service in order to prevent the importation of infringing copies. If protection of copyright rights is desired to be enforced, a copyright registration should be pursued.

Ready to begin?
Great, simply follow the 8 steps below and submit your information. We look forward to working with you.

return to questions & answers

Ready to begin?

8 STEPS TO E-COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK^sm

Step 1: Read through our information on Copyrights.

Step 2: Please enter the following contact information:

Your full legal name:	Mr. Ms. Dr.
Mailing Address:
Telephone (day):
(evening):
Fax:
Email:
Confirm email:
Your capacity with the Organization you are assisting?	In-house attorney Outside counsel sole proprietor Officer - specify your title:
	Other - specify:

Step 3: Please enter the following information about the Applicant:

Name of individual or entity who is applying for copyright registration:
Applicant's Address:
Telephone (day):
(evening):
Fax:
Email:
Confirm email:
Applicant's entity type:	Individual Sole proprietor Corporation Not-for-profit corporation Partnership - specify type:
	Limited liability company
	Other - specify:
If individual, indicate citizenship:
If a corporation, limited liability company, or partnership, indicate state and country of incorporation or organization:

Indicate full name and title (and address if different from above) of person (either the individual, corporate officer, or general partner) who will sign our engagement letter and be responsible for our billings:

Phone:

Step 4:

Exact title of the work you wish to register (a title is required - if none exists, one must be created):

Any previous or alternative titles:

IF the work is a nondramatic literary work or a work in the visual arts, AND the work was created as a contribution to a periodical, serial, or collection, provide the following information about the collective work in which the contribution appeared:

Title:

If published in a periodical or serial, indicate the volume, number, issue date, and page numbers on which the work appeared:

Nature of the work (if a combination, list all and indicate which is predominant):

	Nondramatic literary works:
	Performing Arts works to be performed directly before audience or for recording
	Sound recording
	Visual Arts works
List additional categories and indicate which is predominant:

Step 5:

How many individuals contributed to the work?

Provide the following information for each individual who contributed to the creation of the work:

1st individual:

Full legal name:

Year of Birth:

Year of Death:

Citizenship:

Domicile or Residence:

Is the individual's contribution to the work anonymous (no name is placed on copies of the work)?

yes

Is the individual's contribution to the work pseudonymous (a fictitious name is placed on copies in lieu of the actual name of the individual)?

yes

Describe the amount of contribution to the work from this individual ("entire" work, or describe the portion contributed):

Describe the nature of the work contributed (if a combination, list all and indicate which is predominant):

	Nondramatic literary works:
	Performing Arts works to be performed directly before audience or for recording
	Sound recording
	Visual Arts works
List additional categories and indicate which is predominant:

2nd individual:

Full legal name:

Year of Birth:

Year of Death:

Citizenship:

Domicile or Residence:

Is the individual's contribution to the work anonymous (no name is placed on copies of the work)?

yes

Is the individual's contribution to the work pseudonymous (a fictitious name is placed on copies in lieu of the actual name of the individual)?

yes

Describe the amount of contribution to the work from this individual ("entire" work, or describe the portion contributed):

Describe the nature of the work contributed (if a combination, list all and indicate which is predominant):

	Nondramatic literary works:
	Performing Arts works to be performed directly before audience or for recording
	Sound recording
	Visual Arts works
List additional categories and indicate which is predominant:

3rd individual:

Full legal name:

Year of Birth:

Year of Death:

Citizenship:

Domicile or Residence:

Is the individual's contribution to the work anonymous (no name is placed on copies of the work)?

yes

Is the individual's contribution to the work pseudonymous (a fictitious name is placed on copies in lieu of the actual name of the individual)?

yes

Describe the amount of contribution to the work from this individual ("entire" work, or describe the portion contributed):

Describe the nature of the work contributed (if a combination, list all and indicate which is predominant):

	Nondramatic literary works:
	Performing Arts works to be performed directly before audience or for recording
	Sound recording
	Visual Arts works
List additional categories and indicate which is predominant:

(If more than 3 individuals were involved, we will discuss the details with you off line.)

With respect to each individual listed above, is the work a "work made for hire?"

A "work made for hire" is a work prepared by an employee within the scope of employment, or a work specially ordered or commissioned IF the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work will be considered a work made for hire (If you need assistance with documents, Contact Us)

1st individual: yes no unsure [please Contact Us]
2nd individual: yes no unsure [please Contact Us]
3rd individual: yes no unsure [please Contact Us]

If yes for any of the above, provide the following information to the extent applicable with respect to the employer who ordered the work (if different for different individuals, please Contact Us):

Full legal name:
Year of Birth:
Year of Death:
Citizenship:
Domicile or residence:

STEP 6:

Indicate the year in which the entire work, as being registered, was created.

This should be the year in which the work, in its current form, was first fixed in a copy or phonorecord. For ongoing works, the year of completion in its current form should be used.

Has the work been published?
yes no unsure [please Contact Us]

"Publication" is the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display constitutes publication. A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute publication.

If and only if the work has been published:

Exact date of first publication:

Month:

Day:

Year:

Nation in which first published:

STEP 7:

Provide the full legal name of the claimant, i.e., the individual or entity claiming rights to this registration. If different from individuals listed in STEP 5 above, clearly explain how the claimant obtained the rights (written contract, will or inheritance, other - explain). If you need assistance with transfer documents, Contact Us.

Has a previous registration for this work, or an earlier version of this work, been sought?
yes no

If you answered "yes":

Previous registration number:

Year of previous registration:

Reason for current registration (check one only):

First published edition of work previously registered in unpublished form

This is the first application submitted by this claimant

This is a changed version of the work.

If this work is a derivative work or a compilation based on a previous work or multiple previous works, identify the previous work or works on which it is based, and explain what material has been added or changed in which copyright protection is being claimed:

Indicate any additional information or instructions so that we can understand your situation and help meet your needs:

Step 8: Read this Important Notice:

The use of the E-Copyright Your Work^sm system does not establish an attorney-client relationship until an engagement letter is signed by the attorney and client. However, your information will be kept strictly confidential. The use of the E-Copyright Your Work^sm system does not in any way constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon to create a legally sound application for registration or portion thereof without engaging qualified counsel to review, revise, and complete the application. The applicant is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information submitted. Inaccurate information can result in a loss of rights to a registration and criminal penalties.

Use of the E-Copyright Your Work^sm system and submission of your information is not an actual filing of an application for registration. Your information must be processed in order to create and file such an application. You are advised to seek legal counsel regarding copyright notice matters and transfer of rights documents.

After your information is submitted, we will contact you with an estimate. If accepted, you will be asked to sign our retainer letter and return it with a check and the required copies of your work for deposit with the Copyright Office (of which you will be informed).

No fees will be incurred prior to your acceptance of our estimate.

Are you ready to submit your information?

Note: If you do not submit, your information will not be saved.

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