How do I protect my book (copyright laws)?

2 replies
Hey all,

Thanks for taking the time to check out this thread and help me out a bit, I appreciate it.

Here's the deal, I'm just about to release a new ebook for a new niche, I mean, one I haven't been in before. So, I'm concerned about copyright laws. I wrote the entire book myself and I believe it can be a success - so if possible, somehow, I'd like to protect the book so no one can just copy it and start selling it and steal my content/material which is more or less, actually, completely unique.

I already have a book in a smaller niche, and it's not really "legally protected", I just stated that it's not allowed etc./regular disclaimer. Basically I don't know anything about copyrighting laws, so if someone could explain it to me it would really help.

Thanks,
Jack
#book #copyright #laws #protect
  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    You don't need to do anything to be protected under copyright law. You wrote it so you already own the copyright. However, thieves don't normally care about copyright laws. The best way to protect it is to use DLGuard for download/payment. Even that won't completely protect it. If someone pays for it they can/and do share it and off it goes into the wild. You can also issue DMCA notices if you find it being shared or sold on a site not owned by you. That works very well.
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  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    Hi Jack,

    Are you in the US? If so, you can learn more about copyrighting your work here:

    U.S. Copyright Office

    I'm not a lawyer, this isn't legal advice and you should seek out a lawyer for your legal questions. However, my understanding is that if you want to legally protect your work -- as in take copyright infringers to court -- your best bet is to legally file your copyright as described at the link above. It's the best way to prove that you own the copyright. Makes it much easier for a judge to find in your favor.

    Now, as for protecting your work from those who are going to swipe it and distribute it...

    You got some great solutions from sbucciarel. And what she said is true -- people who REALLY want it are just going to take it and use it as they please. Many of them will be sitting in some foreign land, virtually untouchable personally.

    So, what you have to do is take the basic steps to protect yourself, as described in sbucciarel's post. You can also include links in your book pointing back to your website, so that those who may have unknowingly gotten their hands on a pirated copy are encouraged to join your list.

    Once you've taken those basic steps, then focus on your good and honest customers. If big deep-pocked industries like the music industry can't put a stop to pirating, you probably can't either. So focus your efforts on providing the very best solutions, value and customer experience for your paying customers.

    Cheers,
    Becky
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