Copyright Issues

So, you followed the steps in the first three sections of the Kit and your studio now owns all the assets in your game. Now you need to do what it takes to protect them. This is usually accomplished under the laws of Copyrights. Securing a copyright for your game is actually a fairly simple process. Copyright represents the ownership rights of the creator of a unique expression of an idea or concept in that expression. In the United States Copyright is a form of federal intellectual property protection that goes back the the founding of the country and grants to the creators of “fixed” works of “original authorship” ownership rights in those works. Similar protection is extended to such works through laws and treaties throughout the world.

Copyright registration is the foundation of you being able to enforce your ownership rights in your games. This section will give a brief analysis of copyright including the steps necessary to successfully secure and register your ownership rights to intellectual property for the games you create. This section of the Kit explains about copyrights and also contains the official US Copyright forms used to register your game and game assets. These forms include straightforward simple instructions on how to actually register your copyright.