How to Copyright Digital Pictures

Copyright simply refers to the fact that an individual owns something. As such, copyright exists from the moment that you create something, whether it is a musical composition, a novel, or a digital picture. Having said that, there is a legal component to copyright that helps to insure that the creator of the piece of work is able to exclusively claim the rights to that piece of work. Applying for a copyright for your digital photos through the United States Copyright office can help to insure that your rights to your own digital pictures are protected.

To copyright digital pictures, you will need to acquire the form "VA" from the United States Copyright Office. This form is unique to visual arts products, and differs from the form used for music or the form used for writing. Digital pictures fall into the visual arts category, in terms of copyright. Along with the completed form, you need to submit a certain number of samples of your digital photos, as specified in the application. If the photo is unpublished, you only need to send one copy, but if the photo is published, you need to send two copies.

It is important to understand exactly what copyrighting digital pictures does for you. When you copyright your pictures, you can then sell your pictures, display them on your website, and you can even distribute them in any other way that you wish. Your digital pictures will always be protected. If you don't register a copyright for your digital pictures, you have no legal options if someone copies those digital photos and uses them for their own use. Additionally, you should be aware that your digital pictures, once copyrighted, can still legally be used by others in education and in non-profit educational activities under what is known as "fair use" rules. Finally, it is worth mentioning that you can transfer your copyright for your digital pictures upon your death to an heir, or you can assign the copyright to another consenting individual. If you have a collection of digital photographs and want to insure that you have legal copyright to those digital photographs, it is probably worthwhile to register the copyright prior to posting them on the Internet.