Question

How do I copyright a picture I have taken and may want to sell copies to others? Is it best to number the picture? This is a very unique picture that is a once in a lifetime the way the object turned out. I can't even put a price on it.

Answer 1

Cindy, your photograph is copyrighted because you took it; however, you may want to use various software programs to put your name on the face of it with a (c) or to do this in the caption. It doesn't prevent plagarism but will give you the ability to claim it as your own. A copyright is different from a trademark or patent in that it is not registered anywhere.

Answer 2

I recommend that you brand yourself a watermark as your signature to go on each of your photos. 

Also, just like musicians and songwriters what we submit to the copyright office is in the form of 'collections'. A whole album off songs, or single book with many short stories instead of copyrighting it one at a time. Make sure you have the timestamp function on in your camera - even if you decide to crop the photo - so that at least the original as a time stamp on it. Buy a terabyte hard drive to store and back-up your photos.

And once you get enough to form a collection - here's the link to the Copyright office. http://www.copyright.gov/forms/

Good luck!

Angelina Musik-Comp
MOMtrepreneurs Founder
http://www.MOMtrepreneurs.com
http://www.AngelinaMusik.com

 

Answer 3

As soon as you take the photo, you own the copyright!