Copyright Notice
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BRIDE & GROOM, all photographs, design and text appearing on this Boston Images Inc. website (and/or any of its subsidiaries) are copyright material and protected under Canadian, United States and Iternational copyright laws. The use of any photograph from this site is a violation of copyright law, unless it is being used with the written consent of the owners of the material. Absolutely NOTHING from this site may be used in any manner whatsoever on any other wedding related or commercial site without the written consent of Christopher J. Hicks (the owner of Boston Images Inc.)
Other wedding related or commericial sites include other photographer's sites, planner sites, product sites, and so on. Boston Images will offer a reward (between $50 to $5,000 depending on damages) for reporting anyone who is illegally using our images. We also offer a reward to anyone who reports the illegal use of our images for presentation purposes.
To report a copyright vilolation
e-mail:
info@bostonimages.com
The use of a copyright notice is no longer required under U.S. law, although it is often beneficial. Because prior law did contain such a requirement, however, the use of notice is still relevant to the copyright status of older works.
This circular discusses both the copyright notice provisions as originally enacted in the 1976 Copyright Act (title 17, U.S. Code), which took effect January 1, 1978, and the effect of the 1988 Berne Convention Implementation Act, which amended the copyright law to make the use of a copyright notice optional on copies of works published on and after March 1, 1989. Specifications for the proper form and placement of the notice are described in this circular.
Works published before January 1, 1978, are governed by the previous copyright law. Under that law, if a work was published under the copyright owner's authority without a proper notice of copyright, all copyright protection for that work was permanently lost in the United States.
The Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994 (URAA) (PL 103-465) modified the effect of publication without notice for certain foreign works. Under this Act, copyright is automatically restored, effective January 1, 1996, for certain foreign works placed into the public domain because of lack of proper notice or noncompliance with other legal requirements. Although restoration is automatic, if the copyright owner wishes to enforce rights against reliance parties (those who, relying on the public domain status of a work, were already using the work before the URAA was enacted), he/she must either file with the Copyright Office a Notice of Intent to Enforce the restored copyright or serve such a notice on the reliance party.
For more information about the copyright notice under the law in effect before January 1, 1978, request Circular 96 Section 202.2, "Copyright Notice," from the Copyright Office. For more information about restoration of copyright under the URAA, request Circular 38b, "Highlights of Copyright Amendments Contained in the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA)."
USE OF THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to authors of "original works of authorship." When a work is published under the authority of the copyright owner (see definition of "publication" below), a notice of copyright may be placed on all publicly distributed copies or phonorecords. The use of the notice is the responsibility of the copyright owner and does not require permission from, or registration with, the Copyright Office.
Use of the notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner, and shows the year of first publication. Furthermore, in the event that a work is infringed, if the work carries a proper notice, the court will not give any weight to a defendant's interposition of an innocent infringement defense-that is, that he or she did not realize that the work was protected. An innocent infringement defense may result in a reduction in damages that the copyright owner would otherwise receive.
For works first published on and after March 1, 1989, use of the copyright notice is optional. Before March 1, 1989, the use of the notice was mandatory on all published works. Omitting the notice on any work first published before that date could result in the loss of copyright protection if corrective steps are not taken within a certain amount of time. The curative steps are described in this circular under "Omission of Notice and Errors in Notice."
The Copyright Office does not take a position on whether reprints of works first published with notice before March 1, 1989, which are distributed on or after March 1, 1989, must bear the copyright notice.
What Is Publication?
The 1976 Copyright Act defines publication as "the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending." An offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display also constitutes publication.
The following do not constitute publication: printing or other reproduction of copies, performing or displaying a work publicly, or sending copies to the Copyright Office.
Copyright Notice Not Required on Unpublished Works
The copyright notice has never
been required on unpublished works. However, because the dividing
line between a preliminary distribution and actual publication
is sometimes difficult to determine, the copyright owner may wish
to place a copyright notice on copies or phonorecords that leave
his or her control to indicate that rights are claimed.
An appropriate notice for an unpublished work might be:
Unpublished work © 1998 John Doe.
FORM OF NOTICE
The form of the copyright notice used for "visually perceptible" copies-that is, those that can be seen or read, either directly (such as books) or with the aid of a machine (such as films)-is different from the form used for phonorecords of sound recordings (such as compact disks or cassettes).
Visually Perceptible Copies
The notice for visually perceptible
copies should contain three elements. They should appear together
or in close proximity on the copies. The elements are:
1. The symbol © (the letter C in a circle), or the word "Copyright,"
or the abbreviation "Copr."; and
2. The year of first publication. If the work is a derivative
work or a compilation incorporating previously published material,
the year date of first publication of the derivative work or compilation
is sufficient. Examples of derivative works are translations or
dramatizations; an example of a compilation is an anthology. The
year may be omitted when a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work,
with accompanying textual matter, if any, is reproduced in or
on greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jewelry, dolls, toys,
or useful articles; and
3. The name of the owner of copyright in the work, or an abbreviation
by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative
designation of the owner.*
Example: © 1999 Jane Doe
The "C in a circle" notice is used only on "visually
perceptible" copies. Certain kinds of works, for example,
musical, dramatic, and literary works, may be fixed not in "copies"
but by means of sound in an audio recording. Since audio recordings
such as audio tapes and phonograph disks are "phonorecords"
and not "copies," the "C in a circle" notice
is not used to indicate protection of the underlying musical,
dramatic, or literary work that is recorded. *The United States
is a member of the Universal Copyright Convention (the UCC), which
came into force on September 16, 1955. To guarantee protection
for a copyrighted work in all UCC member countries, the notice
must consist of the symbol © (the word "Copyright"
or the abbreviation are not acceptable), the year of first publication,
and the name of the copyright proprietor. Example: © 1999
John Doe. For information about international copyright relationships,
request Circular 38a, "International Copyright Relations
of the United States."
Phonorecords of Sound Recordings
The copyright notice for phonorecords embodying a sound recording is different from that for other works. Sound recordings are defined as "works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken or other sounds, but not including the sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work." Copyright in a sound recording protects the particular series of sounds fixed in the recording against unauthorized reproduction, revision, and distribution. This copyright is distinct from copyright of the musical, literary, or dramatic work that may be recorded on the phonorecord.
Phonorecords may be records (such as LPs and 45s), audio tapes, cassettes, or disks. The notice should contain the following three elements appearing together on the phonorecord:
1. The symbol (the letter P in
a circle); and
2. The year of first publication of the sound recording; and
3. The name of the owner of copyright in the sound recording,
or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally
known alternative designation of the owner. If the producer of
the sound recording is named on the phonorecord label or container
and if no other name appears in conjunction with the notice, the
producer's name shall be considered a part of the notice. Example:
1999 X.Y.Z. Records, Inc.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO COLLECTIVE WORKS
A "collective work" is one in which a number of contributions that are separate and independent works in themselves are assembled into a collective whole. Examples of collective works include periodicals (such as magazines and journals), encyclopedias, and anthologies.
A single copyright notice applicable to the collective work as a whole serves to indicate protection for all the contributions in the collective work, except for advertisements, regardless of the ownership of copyright in the individual contributions and whether they have been published previously.
However, a separate contribution to a collective work may bear its own notice of copyright, and in some cases, it may be advantageous to utilize the separate notice. As a practical matter, a separate notice will inform the public of the identity of the owner of the contribution. For works first published before March 1, 1989, there may be additional reasons to use a separate notice. If the owner of the collective work is not the same as the owner of an individual contribution that does not bear its own notice, the contribution is considered to bear an erroneous notice. (For the effects of a notice with the wrong name, see "Error in Name" on page 5 of this circular.) Additionally, if an individual author of contributions to a periodical wishes to make a single registration for a group of contributions published within a 12-month period, each contribution must carry its own notice. For information on this type of registration, request Form GR/CP and Information Package 104.
A notice for the collective work will not serve as the notice for advertisements inserted on behalf of persons other than the copyright owner of the collective work. These advertisements should each bear a separate notice in the name of the copyright owner of the advertisement.
PUBLICATIONS INCORPORATING U.S. GOVERNMENT WORKS
Works by the U.S. Government are not eligible for copyright protection. For works published on and after March 1, 1989, the previous notice requirement for works consisting primarily of one or more U.S. Government works has been eliminated. However, use of a notice on such a work will defeat a claim of innocent infringement as previously described provided the notice also includes a statement that identifies either those portions of the work in which copyright is claimed or those portions that constitute U.S. Government material. An example is: "© 1998 Ann Doe. Copyright claimed in Chapters 7-10, exclusive of U.S. Government maps."
Copies of works published before March 1, 1989, that consist primarily of one or more works of the U.S. Government should have a notice and the identifying statement.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Information via the Internet: Frequently requested circulars, announcements, regulations, other related materials, and all copyright application forms are available via the Internet. You may access these via the Copyright Office homepage at www.loc.gov/copyright.
Information by Fax: Circulars
and other information (but not application forms) are available
from Fax-on-Demand at (202) 707-2600.
Information by telephone: For information about copyright, call
the Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000. The TTY number
is (202) 707-6737.
Information specialists are on duty in the Public Information
Office from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through
Friday, except federal holidays. Recorded information is available
24 hours a day. Or, if you know which application forms and circulars
you want, request them from the Forms and Publications Hotline
at (202) 707-9100 24 hours a day. Leave a recorded message.
Information by regular mail: Write
to:
Library of Congress
Copyright Office
Public Information Office
101 Independence Avenue,
S.E. Washington, D.C. 20559-6000