|
Now that you have an active website and ezine, you should beconcerned about protecting it! Let's face it, your websiteis wide open to anyone with an itchy right clicking fingerand an Internet connection.
Protecting your intellectual property and website contentis not as difficult as most people think. I imagine youput a lot of blood, sweat and tears into your website'splanning, concept, and creation. Correct? Why not take an extra couple of hours to protect it from all the Internet slime that's waiting around the corner to steal it?
Your first step in your security checklist should be a tripto "10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained." You may findmany of your questions answered here.http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
Once you get the feel for the kind of protection that'sreadily available to you, it's time to get serious!
All the copyright, patent and trademark information you needcan be found through the following resources.
Congressional Web Sitehttp:/ homas.loc.gov/home homas2.htmlhttp://www.uspto.gov
Copyright & Fair Use at the Stanford University Libraries http://fairuse.stanford.edu/
Also be sure to visit the World Intellectual Property Organization at: http://www.wipo.int
Copyright Officehttp://www.loc.gov http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright
Here is another excellent website on copyrights. I am sureyou can dig up trademark and patent info here as well as aton of other free advice. The name suits the site well:http://freeadvice.com/law/570us.htm
Here is a popular patent search systemhttp://sunsite.unc.edu/patents/intropat.html
You can also contact General Information Services andrequest the Information Dissemination Organization's USPatent and Trademark Catalog (ask for it by name). Thisis a free catalog and contains detailed information on allaspects of copyright protection. 1-800-786-9199
You can request trademark and patent sales informationfrom 1-800-972-6382ptcs@uspto.gov
Take time out today and see what is available to you. Whywait until you are a victim? Take the time to research theabove resources. Many people do not realize that thecopyright registration fee is only $20. Keep in mind thatfederal trademark and patent registration fees are muchhigher, but a copyright may be all that you require tosecurely document your work.
Federal trademarks can be very expensive, but in some states -Tennessee, for instance - you can register your trademark with the state for as little as $5. This protects you from otherswithin your state stealing your information, and should bedone even for company names, logos, slogans, etc. Contact yourSecretary of State's office in your state capitol for moreinformation.
The US Patent and Trademark Office placed its trademark databaseonline. Now you can search the database directly at.Do you know how expensive a patent search can be? Do it here free: http://www.uspto.gov mdb/
I stress to you once again - DO NOT PUT IT OFF. The longeryou wait, the less likely you will be to bother doing it atall. Your copyright registration will be good for many yearsand only takes a little time to complete. About the Author David Seitz - CEO Virtual Imagination Inc.Published by: Virtual Imagination Inc.Brought to you by The Helping Hand Internet MarketingNewsletter. http://www.helpinghand-newsletter.com grab yourfree subscription now: mailto:subscribe@associatesearch.com
|
|
