"Thomas Edison Tested Over 3000 Filaments Before He Came Up With His Version of a Practical Light Bulb. As Shocking As It May Seem, This Was Not His Greatest Invention."

What's the First Step in the Invention Protection?

Documentation. Whenever you come up with a new idea or invention, you want to get a "date" attached to it immediately. Write out the general concept of your invention. Take the paper to a Notary Public.

Notary Public. Explain to the Notary that you have a description of a new idea and you need to get a date associated with it. Usually, the Notary will ask you to sign and date the paper and then they will witness this procedure.

Invention Protection. The reason for documenting your invention is to avoid conflicts with someone who may come up with it later. Once it's notarized, keep the original document in a safe place with all notes and drawings you may have. It's a good idea to keep a diary on your project.

WHAT IS COPYRIGHT?

WHAT WORKS ARE and are not PROTECTED?

HOW TO SECURE A COPYRIGHT
Copyright Secured Automatically upon Creation
The way in which copyright protection is secured is frequently misunderstood. No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. (See following Note.) There are, however, certain definite advantages to registration. See "Copyright Registration."

Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is "created" when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. "Copies" are material objects from which a work can be read or visually perceived either directly or with the aid of a machine or device, such as books, manuscripts, sheet music, film, videotape, or microfilm. "Phonorecords" are material objects embodying fixations of sounds (excluding, by statutory definition, motion picture soundtracks), such as cassette tapes, CDs, or LPs. Thus, for example, a song (the "work") can be fixed in sheet music (" copies") or in phonograph disks (" phonorecords"), or both.

If a work is prepared over a period of time, the part of the work that is fixed on a particular date constitutes the created work as of that date.

For more information on copyrights visit the U.S. Copyright Office