Copy Right for Stock Footage
 

I spent about an hour looking for information about putting a copyright on my HD scenic stock footage that consists mostly of mountains, farms, hot springs and waterfalls. I’m getting kind of tired searching so I’m wondering if anybody can help. I’ve seen examples for music, movies, books etc but nothing for Stock Footage.

My main questions are:

What should be the first things I’d do to get one?

Would I have to pay a copyright fee for each one of my shots? I have at least 100 shots.

Thanks if any of you can help.

Couldn't you just treat them as films? The copyright office shouldn't care if the "film" makes sense, storywise. (Otherwise, a lot of people would be in trouble... :^) )

That's what I'd do...not saying it's correct, but it's what I'd do. And I'd probably break them down into themes to make them more manageable when someone steals some. "He swiped part of my Waterfalls Of The Northeast"!

From
http://www.copyright.gov/
©
HOW TO SECURE A COPYRIGHT
Copyright Secured Automatically upon Creation
The way in which copyright protection is secured is frequently misunderstood. No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. (See following Note.) There are, however, certain definite advantages to registration. See "Copyright Registration."

Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is "created" when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. "Copies" are material objects from which a work can be read or visually perceived either directly or with the aid of a machine or device, such as books, manuscripts, sheet music, film, videotape, or microfilm. "Phonorecords" are material objects embodying fixations of sounds (excluding, by statutory definition, motion picture soundtracks), such as cassette tapes, CDs, or LPs. Thus, for example, a song (the "work") can be fixed in sheet music (" copies") or in phonograph disks (" phonorecords"), or both.

If a work is prepared over a period of time, the part of the work that is fixed on a particular date constitutes the created work as of that date.

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Thanks

Copyrights are great but remember that it's a lot harder to prove your copyright if it's not submitted for copyright protection.

If you have a hundred clips, put it on one tape, dvd, etc and submit it. You pay one processing fee for all your clips instead of 100 individual clips.

Havn't taken a look at the copyright office, lately, but I think it was around $35.00 to file an application.

One way to also protect your copyright for court is to mail yourself the tape and have it roundated and certified. As long as the seal is not tampered with, it's proof of date that can be used to show your stuff was created first and that it's the original.

Nope.

What's to prevent me sending out a bunch of empty, unsealed envelopes and then tossing in whatever, after the fact?

They don't get opened until you're in court in front of the judge.

The round date and certificate would be done at the post office. The contents would be in the envelope.

If you've opened the envelope before the court date, it's null and void.