Re: How do I write an Open Source Book?

[Christopher Browne]

In an attempt to throw the authorities off his trail, John Hasler 
<john@dhh.gt.org> transmitted:
> Artificer writes:
>> How can I prove without some kind of registration that I was the original
>> writer or software developer?
>
> By producing evidence: your first draft, friends who remember discussing it
> with you, the records of whoever did the first print run for you, etc.  How
> do you think most authors do so?
>
> You can register your copyright for a small fee.  Exactly how you do
> so depends on what country you are in.  Do a Web search.
> Registration doesn't accomplish much, though.

What copyright registration tends to do is to make it a lot easier to
win infringement cases.

The registration document, itself, makes excellent evidence of
ownership of copyright.

And commonly, if you register copyright, courts will award, simply
based on that, summary damages of a pretty hefty sum.

This may be of little value if you register in the USA, and then
discover someone copying your material (as if it were their own) in
some other jurisdiction, of course.  Finding them to sue them may be
nearly impossible...
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