Before we go any further it is important to realise that I am not a qualified music attorney and this method of copyrighting has a lot of debate surrounding it as to whether it does actually hold up in court. Therefore, I am merely going to explain to you how it works and how to do it, it is up to you what you do with the information I provide. You should always seek the advice from a professional music attorney about serious matters!
So What Is Poor Man's Copyright?
Poor man's copyright is a way of copyrighting your songs on the cheap by using registered post.
How Does Poor Man's Copyright Work?
The theory behind it is quite simple. When you send anything via registered post the envelope is dated and sealed with a security sticker. So what you do is place printed lyrics, a CD with your song, info about the songwriters and the date of creation in an envelope, post it to yourself via registered post and then store it somewhere safe. Once the seal isn't broken then you have proof of possession for what ever is in the envelope.
How To Do It?
Put the song that you wish to copyright into an envelope (CD or mp3 as well as the lyric sheet and info about the songwriters and date of creation).Seal all the material in an envelope and your home address on it.Go to your local post office and mail the material to yourself by using your country's registered postal service.When it arrives put it somewhere safe and DO NOT OPEN IT! (if you do open it then the seal becomes broken and it becomes worthless)If someone plagiarises your material then you can bring the envelope to court and use it as proof of creation.
Flaws Surrounding This Method Of Copyright
This is not the legal way of copyrighting your music and to date there have been no cases of this actually standing up in court. The main reason why this method is so flawed is that it can be faked.
Your probably thinking to yourself "Why would I bother if it doesn't actually hold up in court". Well I can see your point but what a lot of songwriters do is use this method while they are waiting for their real copyright to go through the copyright office. This gives them a bit of reassurance should they want to post their songs online, etc., while they are waiting.
If you found this songwriting article interesting and would like to learn some more tips and techniques then why not check out Free Songwriting Tips.
Craig S.
http://www.world-of-songwriting.com/
Professional Songwriter & Musician.
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