🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct12.182241.11112@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> jgeniec@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Joseph A Geniec) writes:
>     I am a new shareware developer, and I intend to upload my
>software to BBS's. What is the best way I can go about
>copyrighting shareware?
>
>                                             J.G.

  Simple inclusion of a copyright notice:

        Copyright (c) MeMyself AndI, 1992
        All rights reserved

  is totally sufficient to secure copyright *protection*.  This notice
  should be included at the top of all source files and any other file
  or document that might be inspected independently.  It is NOT necessary
  to put the notice on every page or on every so many lines.  The assumption
  is that anyone inspecting the work will look at the front of it in order
  to determine its copyright status.  

  Securing copyright *protection* and actually being able to recover
  damages from violators are two different things.  If you have in fact
  copyrighted a work AND published it (the act of publication turns it
  into a copyrightable work) you are protected from the date of publication
  but you are not permitted to actually sue anyone for a violation UNTIL
  YOU REGISTER your copyright.  This is done by filing a form along with
  some amount of money (about $50 or so, although it may have gone up 
  given the $4 trillion dollar deficit :-) and a required copy of your
  work with the Copyright Office in Washington D.C. (or one of its
  regional offices).  Once the form is filed, you have a statutory
  copyright which gives you grounds to sue for damages against anyone
  violating your copyright.  While you can only get statutory damages from
  date of registration, the fact that you had NOT registered does not
  preclude you from establishing actual loss of revenues or profits.
  These may be recovered AFTER registration for losses incurred prior
  to registration.  In all cases, you must have provided the proper
  notices on all published works in order to be protected at all.

  Good luck,

  Jon Rosen