How do I get my "personal" songs that I have written protected by a copyright? We do them in church and other churches use them, but I would like them |
The short and simple answer is that the copyright on your song is secured automatically as soon as you "fix it in a tangible medium of expression;" e.g., such as a song sheet, songbook, CD, cassette, MP3, etc. No registration with the Copyright Office is required to protect your song, but there can be advantages to registering it with the Copyright Office. Although it’s not required, it is highly recommended that you include a copyright notice, consisting of the “c in a circle” ©, the year of creation or first publication, and your name or your publishing company name (if applicable) in order to notify the general public that you are claiming original authorship in the song.
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