Copyright of the book

There is a huge amount of information online about how copyright registration for a book works today. There are generally accepted rules and standards set out in the current legislation, but every publishing house or printing house adds its own amendments and its own requirements for the services it provides. Let us look in detail at what book copyright is, when it takes effect and how to register it.

What book copyright is and its peculiarities

Copyright is a set of rights that belong to the author. It is granted in connection with the creation of a work of literature, science or art. It is important to note that legal protection extends only to the form of expression. There are also things that copyright does not cover:

• ideas;
• theories;
• principles;
• methods;
• procedures;
• processes;
• concepts;
• discoveries and much more.

It makes no difference whether they are expressed, described or illustrated.

Entry into force of the copyright of a book

Once it is clear which works are objects of copyright, the next question arises: when do these rights take effect? The answer is quite simple – from the moment the work itself is created. The main (primary) owner of the rights is the author of the work. If a co-author has direct evidence of participation, the rights are divided equally.

The term of copyright in a work may differ depending on certain factors. For example:

• If there is a single author, the rights last throughout his or her lifetime and for 70 years after his or her death.
• Anonymous or pseudonymous authors hold the rights for 70 years only. The countdown starts on the day the work is made public.
• In the case of co-authorship, the rights last throughout the lifetime of all co-authors and for 70 years after the death of the last co-author.
• When a series of books is published (several volumes, for example), the term for each of them is calculated individually.

There are other cases in which the term of copyright in books is different. You can discuss every question related to this service with our managers. Consultations are free of charge.

List of the author’s rights

The list of copyrights is quite long, but if we speak about the main positions, a short list can be singled out. All of them are divided into two large groups: non-property rights and property rights. Let us look at each group separately.

Non-property rights

• Preserving the integrity of the material and opposing any distortion or alteration.
• Requiring attribution every time the material is used.
• Indicating or choosing a pseudonym independently.
• Prohibiting disclosure of the author’s name in the case of anonymity or a pseudonym.

Property rights

• Using the work in any form or in any manner.
• Permission to use the book.
• Prohibition to use the work.
• Other intellectual property rights provided for by the current legislation.

Permission or prohibition for other persons

• Public display and notification.
• Repeated publication.
• Translation into other languages.
• Changes (revision or correction, for example).
• Distribution.
• Leasing.
• Import.

This is far from a complete list.

Documents for registration

All issues related to copyright registration are governed by the current legislation of our country. Below is the list of documents required for the registration procedure. If the copyright documents are submitted by the author’s representative, a power of attorney is required. There are also a number of other accompanying documents that our consultants will explain.

Consideration of the application and issue of the certificate

For our publishing house to start registering the copyright in a customer’s book, an application has to be written. It is quite difficult for a beginner to do this alone, so we take this work on ourselves: we fill in the form in full accordance with the established template and submit it to the appropriate authority.

The application is considered within one month. If there are no mistakes in the submitted documents and everything meets the requirements, a decision to register is made. If not, the applicant receives a decision of refusal with a detailed justification. On the basis of the decision received, together with the rest of the package of documents, a certificate is drawn up and issued, and the data is entered into the State Register. The certificate is handed over personally to the applicant or to an authorised person, or is sent by post.

Data required to prepare the application

To prepare for the copyright registration of a work (a book), send us the book layout and provide answers in text form to the following questions:

• Surname, first name and patronymic of the first author (a pseudonym, if there is one, should be given in brackets).
• Passport (series, number, by whom and when it was issued).
• Identification code.
• Contact person: telephone and fax.
• E-mail.
• Date, month and year of birth.
• Registration address.
• Address for correspondence.
• Contact telephone number.
• Title of the work (a short title, if there is one).
• Whether there are photographs in the electronic layout of the book.
• An abstract on the substance of the work (no more than 300 characters with spaces).
• The form in which the work will be submitted for registration: on paper (specify the number of sheets) or electronically.
• The date on which the work on the book was completed (day, month, year).
• The date and place of publication of the work, if it has been published.
• The address to which the copyright registration certificate should be sent.

Once the application for registration has been agreed with the data you provided, you must leave your physical signature on the printed document entitled “Application for registration of copyright”.

For copyright to work to the fullest and bring profit, while the probability of losses stays minimal, it is important to prepare well and to take care of the professional execution of all the necessary documents. Thanks to the professional work of our employees, you will not face disputes over an incorrect transfer of rights or detected violations.