He's right, if someone really likes your work, there really is no way to stop them from copying or making a slightly changed version of your work. Just make sure you make a better piece of software then the guy who copies you an you'll be okay. :grin:Originally Posted by Shawn
-Variant
The idea of emailing a scanned copy or using what's considered the Poor Man's Copyright, to me, is just a waste oftime. I don't know the fees in Europe, but here in the U.S. if you file it yourself the base fee is $35 USD.
To me, if something is worth going through the trouble of protecting, then I say spend the money and get it done the right way.
Everyone knows that Alexander Grahm Bell invented the telephone, right? Nope! He was the first to actually patent the creation. Another man, by the name of Antonio Meucci, actually invented the device. Unfortunately Meucci couldn't afford to file for the patent.
Copyright protects literary works, such as a story and content.
Trademark helps protect names, such as a name of a character, village, universe, etc.
While a copyright and trademark may protect you in countries such as the US and others, it doesn't protect your works in India or other countries that deal in a lot of piracy.
It's usually a good idea to do these ahead of time if you feel your project is worth the protect since it may take a few months for the filing to occur.
Companies such as Blizzard register way ahead of time, before any alpha/beta/live versions are released to the public.
Copyright will also protect your software. It can even protect character names and title of the software/game. However, to fully protect one's characters and/or logos, then yes, trademark would be the thing to do.
I can write a book with character names and a book title. Without trademarking it, if someone writes a book or creates a work (book, essay, movie, software, etc) with characteristics similar to my copyrighted work, then it can be grounds for copyright infringement.
As for copyright in other countries, it can still hold ground. The FAQ of "Is my copyright good in other countries?" For a list of the countries that support U.S. Copyright you can view that here:
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ38a.pdf
India is listed as supporting:
India · Berne (Paris) Apr. 1, 1928; Bilateral Aug. 15, 1947;
UCC Geneva Jan. 21, 1958; Phonograms Feb. 12, 1975; UCC
Paris Apr. 7, 1988; WTO Jan. 1, 1995
On that PDF you will see a decription of what the Berne agreement is. Many seem to have the delusion that countries like India, China, and so forth are some free-for-all. The issue is not whether they are a free-for-all, the issue is financial cost for trying to prosecute a person of a foreign country.
Another factor you have to look at is the economy of that country. For me, you, and possibly others, we're willing to pay good money for good software. Unfortunatley, though, what we are willing to pay and what others make is a big difference.
A perfect example is MMF2 Dev. For me, an American, the price is steep, however, I'm saving up and hope to be able to purchase it before the end of the trial. $369 for MMF2 Dev is more than some "middle class" people make in other countries each month. I talk a lot with people of other countries and it is really an eye-opener to see that what I pay for a software program is as much as a person makes a month in salary.
I'm not justifying piracy in developing countries. I'm simply saying that people are not going to spend their entire salary on a software application that costs either more at a good chunk of their monthly income.
I have come up with some ideas to help keep tabs as well as try to encourage people to purchase instead of pirate. There will always be pirates no matter how strict of a DRM system you utilize. Just don't be too strict. You may end up pushing away potential buyers and converting them to becoming pirates.
I vacationed over in India a year ago while the Amazing Race was out there. Piracy is very popular over there, especially in the Mumbai side. They have shops/merchants that carry burned CDs that have software, games, and almost every book in the world. Obvious not free but not your standard repair price either :P That's how they make money in the poorer side of the country.
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