Rule of law

Copyright law can be very confusing for someone who doesn’t understand the nuances of the law; however the laws were created in a straight forward manner that will protect the creator of any form of media.  “The holder of a copyright owns the particular expression of an idea, but not the underlying idea or method of operation.” (Beatty, 506) No matter the form of media, be it music, a novel or a photograph, once the media is created, it is automatically copywritten and owned by its creator. The creator is then protected from someone else using and benefiting from their work without permission or payment.  “A work is copyrighted automatically once it is in tangible form. For example, when a songwriter puts notes on paper, the work is copyrighted without further ado.” (Beatty 506) When a photographer takes a photograph, he or she owns the copyright to the photograph, except when the photograph was done for hire. A photographer has full copyright protection once he presses the shutter according to copyright statute first set forth in England by Queen Ann in 1710. America adopted these statutes, however it is not necessary in the United States to register with the copyright office unless filing a suit for infringement, “Registration with the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress is necessary only if the holder wishes to bring suit to enforce the copyright” (Beatty, 506) although it is encouraged that you use the copyright symbol or a watermark because the symbol is recognized internationally. “Lawyers still recommend using the copyright symbol because other countries recognize it. Also, the penalties for intentional copyright infringement are heavier than for unintentional violations, and the presence of a copyright notice is evidence that the infringer's actions were intentional.” (Beatty, 506) The copy right act MDCA provides financial reparations for a person that intentionally infringes on a person’s work digitally.