Copyright Registration is the key to make money from your art

Copyright registration is the key to make money from your art. When it comes to your creations like your books, stories, sculptures, songs etc. you often wonder one question: “Can I make money from it?”. Well, the answer to that is as complicated as untangling a Jalebi back to its shape. However, registering your copyright allows you to take the first step towards monetizing your art, or in your terms, making money. 

This article sheds a light on how you, through copyright filing,  can establish yourself as a serious artist, while ensuring that your art always have a pay-check for you in the end.

What is Copyright?

Copyright basically means right to copy. As an artist, you have the sole ownership of your art. Only you should possess the power to reproduce that art, sell that art or destroy it. However, without legal ownership of your creation, you set yourself on a vulnerable stage where anyone else can take your right to copy. In doing so, those who see you as a rival, or a gullible artist, can copy your art and pass it off as their own.

Copyright registration is the way to attain legal ownership of your works. It’s a lengthy process but it’s also the most rewarding.

What is the process of copyright registration?

As we already said, copyright registration is a lengthy process that involves communicating with the Intellectual property department via online copyright registration. Here are the steps to attain the sole ownership of your creation:

1. Take the copy of your art in an appropriate format: As to register copyright, you have to take the on online process, you have to digitize your creation like below:
   1. If your creation is a poem: Put it in the word document.
   2. If it’s a novel: Put in the word document.
   3. If it’s a photograph: Put it in an image file.
   4. If it’s a painting: Put it in an image file.
   5. If it’s an audio: Put it in a wav or mp3 format.
   6. If it’s a video: Put it in a mp4 format or something similar.
   7. If it’s a logo: logo copyright registration requires the same format as a photograph or a painting.
   8. If it’s music: Put in the music sheet, and then scan it as PDF.
   9. If it’s software: Put in the word format with the source code as the material of that file.
2. File the application of copyright registration: Once you’ve put your work into an appropriate format, file the application of copyright registration. Afterwards, attach the document with the application.

Those two steps ends your participation in the process of copyright registration. The rest of the job is of the IP department.

• You will get the diary number: The IP department will put your application in a diary that it will publish – putting your art in the public domain. It will remain there for one month. If any third party opposes your application, you’ll get notified and then have to take steps to manage it.
• The department will then start processing your application: If your application survives being published on the public domain, the department will then start the process of application assessment. During that process your application, and its contents would be thoroughly checked by a Copyright Registrar.
• Approval and Certification: Once the Copyright Registrar approves of your application, you’ll get the registration certificate of your copyright.

Going international copyright registration

If you want to move even further and get international copyright registration, you can do so by taking the same steps as above, except at a larger scale.

1. The application will be published in the international diary for a longer period of time.
2. The international registration department will publish your application in the country of your choice.
3. It would take around 3 to 4 years for your international registration.

How is registering your copyright translates to making money?

Now, even after reading all the above, there might be one thought currently ringing in your head right now: “How can I make money from it”. Well, hold your horses, because the following is how you make money from your art.

1. Copyright registration imposes restriction on others from copying your art. Unless the use of your art is under the fair use agreement of the copyright, no one can blatantly use your material for their own. If someone tries to get smart and steal your material, you can slap them with an injunction.
2. Copyright gives you legitimacy that you need: Unless you are a well renowned artist, you’d need copyright to protect your art. By attaining the legal ownership of your art, you can rise above in the eyes of your audience as a serious artist.
3. It attracts other serious publishers towards you: Going through the process of copyright means that you are willing to go through the hard legal steps to protect your creation. Many publishers find that very endearing. They want to work with someone professional, someone who can make their job easier. And thus, giving this legal process it’s due will help you get serious publishers.

The above three factors are the most basic reasons a intellectual property registration is important for you to establish yourself as a brand.

Beyond copyright

Copyright registration is good literary, artistic, audio or cinematographic works, but what about your logo. You might have noticed the second section of this article that I talked about the document that you need to get your logo copyrighted. However, that’s not the only thing that you require to protect your logo properly. Copyright and trademark registration  goes hand in hand when you are trying to protect your logo. It will help you with branding and then, it will help you earn money.

Conclusion

Copyright registration is the way to gain legitimacy as an artist. It’s also a way to protect your works and continue to establish your brand without the fear of being copied. Being legitimate, being protected and becoming and established brand is how copyright registration is the key to make money from your art.