eBook Copyright Protection

[Musky]

Hi
Any successful ebook publishers out there who can advise me how I can protect my ebook against copyright infringement/theft?

Thanks
Musky

[Vasili]

Re: How can I stop my ebook from being copied

...
Nothing will prove foolproof, but you can follow established standards:

1. Properly submit a paid filing of your work with the US Copyright Office to receive a Registered Copyright for your literary work which although is US-based, still accepts foreign works and has enforcement globally via WIPO, and the UCC -- the FBI is the enforcing agency -- and is fully recognized by ICANN and the World Court (for digital works as well).
* There is no such thing as "implied Copyright" or any protection against infringement or plagiarism unless you actually file and successfully register an Official Copyright: just asserting "Copyright" for any work or property is not enough, and is not legally enforceable or suitable in any manner to protect or establish any "rights" or "title" unless it is publicly filed and Registered. This includes works of art, photographs, drawings (or graphical art), literary works, or any other "asset" that may normally be protected and which commonly is not. For anything worth asserting but which has not been officially filed, it is still wise to establish a minimal effort, such as is available from CopyScape or other providers (see next suggestion).

2. Explore CopyScape services, as they have different plans to actively monitor the WWW for protected/registered works for instances of plagiarism. Once CopyScape notifies of an instance of plagiarism, if you do not have an actual Registered Copyright, enforcement of any claim for literary rights are solely up to you and whatever means you and your attorney can establish and implement.

3. If you are commercially distributing eBooks online, be sure to demonstrate your Due Diligence in structuring the methodology that supports your claim (or assertion) of Copyright - filed or not. In other words, make sure your Payment system has a secure manner of transacting distribution, for without a professionally designed method, your claims are likely to be disallowed based on the absence of effort. This is why most prefer to use a shopping cart platform (CUBE Cart, Zen, osCommerce, Soholaunch, etc.), as they not only usually provide for digital downloads, but have the means to restrict multiple downloads per single transactions ... just the demonstration of forethought into the method of operating a business as it should.

Bottom Line: If you do not file for and/or receive an actual Registered Copyright (the real deal, not just simple assertion or claim) and cannot deal with the risks of plagiarism, theft, or outright loss of intellectual assets or derivatives thereof, do not distribute (post, publlish) them to the WWW.


For Trademarks or Servicemarks, See Also: US Patent & Trademark Office