Editor and Copyright Issue

[Faye HG]

Hello,
I wonder if anyone could give me some advice?
When you send your manuscript to an Editor do you have to provide them with a copyright disclaimer/statement? I have been using an Editor in USA (I am UK based) - does the difference in country copyright law put my work at risk?
Thanks for your time,
Faye

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Hello,
I wonder if anyone could give me some advice?
When you send your manuscript to an Editor do you have to provide them with a copyright disclaimer/statement? I have been using an Editor in USA (I am UK based) - does the difference in country copyright law put my work at risk?
Thanks for your time,
Faye

No. You don't need to copyright your work at all - it is a scaremongering spread around. It's copyrighted by the very fact you have the original document. But, also, a reputable editor would never take anything - their career would be ruined.

 

[The Judge]

Copyright is created as soon as you put pen to paper, and for the copyright period remains vested in you/your heirs unless you/they give it away or sell it, and that's the same in England and Wales (and Scotland and NI, I'm sure) and in the US. You will have copyright in both the original and in any edited version(s) you may produce.

Brandishing a copyright notice does nothing to protect you and your work. However, there can be a couple of advantages in registering copyright in the US as that allows for further compensation if someone there breaches your copyright, but off the top of my head I can't remember if those advantages are limited to US authors. There are a number of threads on copyright here, so if you have a search you'll find at least one linking to the US Copyright Office or whatever it's called, which will explain more.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

As a practical matter, I have far too many things of my own to write for me to have time to steal anything from what I'm editing.

 

[The Judge]

I've found the link to the US Copyright Office I recalled posting Copyrights/Trademarks

There are a number of other posts in that thread which might be of interest, and in this one When to copyright? so I'd recommend you have a read around of them if you're unsure of the issues.

 

[Nick B]

Quellist looks suspiciously at TDZ

 

[Phyrebrat]

Phyrebrat wonders if TDZ is writing something for Bossington's headstones

pH

 

[Faye HG]

Thank you for all your input and advice - very much appreciated

 

[Faye HG]

I've found the link to the US Copyright Office I recalled posting Copyrights/Trademarks

There are a number of other posts in that thread which might be of interest, and in this one When to copyright? so I'd recommend you have a read around of them if you're unsure of the issues.

Thank you for the link to the other discussion - very helpful

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Phyrebrat hopes TDZ is writing something for Bossington's headstones

pH

There. I fixed that for you with my red pen.