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> Hi, Jeff Rapp here. I was woundering, how do you get a
>copyright on a program! Do you have to go thru some gov. thing or just
>put (c)1997 Man on the Moon Software??
> Desperate In Nebraska
> Jeff Rapp
As long as you created the program yourself and didn't use anyone elses code
(except public domain code or code that you bought legally), you own the
copyright. As of 1991 or 1993 (can't remember which), you don't even have to
put a copyright notice in your program, but if you do, it should read as
follows:
Copyright 1997 Your Name Here
The little "(C)" thing won't hold up in court. If you're in graphics mode, a
'C' inside a circle is fine, but the old text mode C-in-parintheses is no
good.
Also, unless your company is 100% legit (you pay taxes for it, etc.), you may
want to use your own name instead of the company name, since the company name
may not hold up either. To my knowledge, using a company name (i.e., "Man on
the Moon" software) to represent your software is perfectly legal, but if you
decide to sue someone who violates your copyright, it may be a lot harder to
prove you're the real author.
The US Government requests that you register all copyrights. The current cost
for registering a copyright on software is $20. You can get more information
at:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/copy1.html
Hope this helps. If anyone finds any errors in this message or has something
to add, please feel free.
-Jesse
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> (SIGN HERE)
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Very funny Scotty!
Now beam down my clothes!
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