Originally Posted By: Mac
You can obtain a copyright on any work, matter of fact under current US law, a work is copyrighted as soon as it is completed by the author.

There is, however, copyright *REGISTRATION* which is what I think you are trying to refer to. Registering your work with the US copyright office costs about 40 dollars per work, or you can go for the less expensive "compilation" copyright, which for the one price will cover an entire compilation of songs, such as a CD. However, there are caveats as to your protection with the cheaper method.

The copyright office does not do searches to see if your work is a copy of someone else's.

But do not take my word for it either.

You should visit the source, the US government copyright office webpage and at least read the FAQs there, which answer a lot if not all questions.

http://www.copyright.gov/

Rumors, misinformation and disinformation are rampant on this subject. If you are serious, get your information only from the source.


--Mac


A couple of refinements.

No work is invested with a copyright until it is reduced to a physical form from which it can be discerned (tape, CD, sheet music etc.)

So, you can't just whistle a tune...or play it on a musical instrument and obtain a copyright even if you created it in front of a thousand witnesses.

It is true that the Copyright Office does not rule on the originality of a song submitted to it and therefore, one can register a work that is an exact copy of Hotel California. But A) such a copyright would be INVALID and B) it would actually violate copyright law to copy the song for purposes of registration.

Best,
Jim