This group of questions comes from the U.S. Copyright Offices Web site: http://www.copyright.gov/
1. What kind of copyright license do you need to protect your artwork on the international market? Click Here to Go Back
Answer : Believe it or not, there is no such thing as "International Copyright". Most international copyrights depend on the different countries and the laws within that country.
2. Is registration with the U.S. Copyright Office necessary for copyright protection? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: No! Copyrights are merely legal formalities. Any work of art that is affixed to a certain medium is already copyrighted however, if you go through a copyright registration process, then you have a better chance in a U.S. curt of law to protect yourself.
3. Are sculptures considered as works of art that can be copyrighted? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: Pictures, graphics and sculptured works are considered tangible woks of art that can be copyrighted.
4. If your employer asks you to design graphics for company that you work for, do you get to keep the rights to the artwork ? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: When you are hired to to make art for a company that you work for, the employer gets to keep the rights to the artwork unless you specify that consideration in a legal and binding contract.
5. Can someone else, such as an agent, secure a copyright for your art? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: Any person authorized to act on your behalf can secure a copyright for you.
The awns ers to these questions can be found at the Stanford University Copyright and Fair Use Page http://fairuse.stanford.edu/index.html
1. Under what conditions can you use portions of someone's copyrighted material ? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: You can use some of the material if you are using it for commenting or criticizing their work. However, using derogatory or inflammatory comments can get you into trouble.
2. Can you display someone else's artwork on your Web site ? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: Yes, as long as the image is smaller and the print quality is not very high quality. Other than that, you must obtain permission.
3. As a general rule, most works of art enter the public domain because of what? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: Expiration of the copyright.
4. If you saw this notice: Free Graphics and Clip Art on my site! Just copy and paste onto your site ! Is this legal to do so? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: Actually, if you get the artwork, it usually means "royalty free" which is different. This means that yes, you can use the software, but you probably can't bundle it up and sell it.
5. You have an idea for a great piece of artwork which you talk about extensively on the Internet about. Can you merely copyright the idea ? Click Here to Go Back
Answer: Sorry Charlie* , you can't copyright an idea. The law will only protect the way an idea is expressed. In other words' suppose you are making a movie about a large shark that terrorizes a small costal town in Maine. You have a sheriff that tries to stop the shark along with some friends. Now, if the basic idea has specifics that are too similar, then you might get into trouble. But a shark that terrorizes a town by growing legs and becoming a land shark, well, you can watch that on Saturday Night Live
Also, some interesting cases involving the motion picture have cropped up recently. Harlan Ellison sued James Cameron for the Terminator and a lady known as the "Mother of the Matrix" is suing the Wachowski brothers for copyright infringement of what she claims was her idea.
* (by the way, you can't copyright short phrases like "You're Fired" either.)