Copyrighting software protects your rights and interests.
After all the time you’ve put into your software the last thing you want to happen is for someone else to come along, claim your work as their own, and use your software to their financial gain. Registering a software copyright with the US Copyright Office protects your rights.
Only by filing for copyright protection with the US Copyright Office do you ensure your right to seek financial damages from anyone who uses your software without your express permission. Whether someone claims your software as their own or simply distributes your software without your permission, registering a software copyright gives you legal options that you wouldn’t otherwise have.
What qualifies for software copyright protection?
The US Copyright Office considers software to be “a set of statements or instructions to be used directly or indirectly in a computer to bring about a certain result.” Copyright protection for software extends to any copyrightable expression embodied in the program. Copyright protection does not apply to ideas, concepts, algorithms, program logic, methods or layouts.
You don’t have to submit all of your code to copyright your software!
In order to copyright your software, you don’t need to give up your secrets. You will need to submit the first 25 pages and last 25 pages of code, with any trade secrets blocked out. This provides the US Copyright Office with enough code to verify your work and copyright protection. The code can be submitted as a PDF.
Copyright your software with Click and Copyright
Trust Click and Copyright to secure the rights you deserve for your software. With just a few clicks, you’ll be well on your way to protecting your legal rights over your software for years to come.