Copyright

arleitiss

Hey, just wondering when you are making your own website (literally from scratch without using any templates and cms.) Do you copyright website?
Because I don't understand what it means, as far as I know to copyright something you need to pay like a fee or no? How is that done?

ressem

Technically any works that you create, after they are put into some readable form are automatically copyrighted. (If the work is derived from another work, then you just have copyright over the bits you added.)

You don't state whether it is code, website content, website design, website images or company logo or downloadable documents that you want to protect.

There are sites such as
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p04_copyright_registration
so you upload whatever content you want proof of ownership over and £35 and they record your claim on it as a sort of 3rd party witness.

If you want to protect a logo or company name then you might need to register a trademark instead.
If images, then you might want to consider stamping a watermark over them.

arleitiss

So theoretically if my website content consists of user activity and content, which I cannot copyright, I don't really need to copyright my website?

ressem

Content created by your visitors or users will remain as their copyright.

You'll need to draft something along the same lines as Boards.ie 'Terms of use'
http://www.boards.ie/terms/ part 7 in the footer to make clear that by creating and posting content on your site, they grant a limited license to your organisation to distribute the material.

The original text, graphics, code that you create will automatically be copyrighted by you. Making it easier to prove in court is the only reason for paying for a service such as the one above.

amen

Content created by your visitors or users will remain as their copyright

not necessarily. It all depends on the T&C of your website.

arleitiss

Okay, I've done kind of like terms and conditions, someone who's good at it, can you help me? both things:
1) Run through it and tell me where I am vulnerable to possible problems with users
2) Correct my crappy English grammar.
English is like my 4th language, and my grammar is quite bad.
Please PM me if you are willing to help?

CptPlanet

Copyright on your work is implicit adding a copyright notice makes it explicit but doesnt really change anything but can be useful (watermarks for instance).

Terms and conditions is another matter entirely, I'd recommend working from a template and tailoring it to your needs unless you want to hire a lawyer