The Copyrights are a pop punk band from Carbondale...oops that's not right - damn Wikipedia. Here's the right entry:

Copyright is the set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Wikipedia

You see the problem. Copyright is the rights for: copying, distribution, and adaptation. Typically when you license a copyrighted thing you are asked: how many copies, what distribution, and what medium. Once you put it online all of these questions are irrelevant. On the Web in order to see something: you must take a copy. What is the distribution? It is global, twenty-four seven, and permanent - unlike an image in a newspaper ad - unless you happen to see it beneath your fish and chips. Finally, it is a digital medium and so there is no end to copying and the possibility for derivatives.

Copyright is automatic, this blog entry is under my copyright the moment I write it. Enforcement, however is not automatic. You could register it with the government: but that is expensive and time consuming. You could not put it online: but then what's the point of that?

How do you protect your copyright?

Disable "right click" - why waste your time. As soon as someone can see your stuff then they can take a copy of it. Not unlike music: if it can be heard it can be recorded - unplayed music is a contradiction. Your Web site on your hard drive? What a waste.

Flash, Java image viewers, and the like are sometimes used to encase the files and prevent them from being copied. For that there is one word: camtasia.

By putting it online you accept that visitors take a copy. In taking that copy they may do something with it. 

So what's a body to do?

First of all: accept the fact that if you are going to have a Web site then visitors will have a copy of your great wit and wisdom. In order to lower your concerns You then put a copyright statement on every page and have a page for your full statement. Make sure there is a link to the copyright page on every page on your site.

While copyright is automatic you want to make it clear to your visitors that the material is protected and only there for their use on the Web site. If they decide to steal it then they are doing so in the knowledge that it is theft. 

The statement is simple: the word copyright or the symbol ©, the year/years, your name, and what rights, in most cases it is all rights, are reserved. Then you make this statement a link to the page where you really spell it out.

Is this a perfect solution? No - but it is better than nothing. 

Once you learn to love the new copyright: you might try the Creative Commons. This is a great solution to the problem. As the author you can assign rights: the CC states "go ahead and use it but keep my name on it". Or other rights - short of the public domain. If there was every an "internet" solution to a content problem this is it.

Again, enforcement is not included, but it does allow for legal usage: most people will use it according to your wishes. If you say "don't you use it": then they will probably do so anyway - just take a close look at the next Powerpoint presentation you see at work if you don't believe me.

Cheers,

Bernie