Do I need to register a copyright on my iBook before I submit it to Apple?

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Level 1

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Do I need to register a copyright on my iBook before I submit it to Apple?

I am in the final stages of preparing my iBook textbook for Apple.

My big concern is whether I need to or should register a governmental copyright on the iBook's content.

I know recently that Apple changes the terms of its EULA so that the authors retain the rights to their work, but does this presuppose that the authors have already registered a copyright? Or does this mean that an iBook's copyright is created when it is posted to the iTunes store?

It concerns me that I might have to wait for 3 months while the copyright is established only to wait for another long period while Apple reviews the iBook

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Aug 6, 2012 8:28 AM

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Answer 1

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K T

Level 7

23,877 points

Aug 6, 2012 8:33 AM in response to OAPartridge

The best place to put these kinds of questions is to a copyright attorney. They can help you decide what level of legal armor you want and help to put it in place, etc.

Also, look into what your ISBN represents in terms of prior art - but again, put legal questions to a lawyer 🙂

Ken

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Answer 2

Aug 8, 2012 11:12 AM in response to OAPartridge

Register your material as unpublished with the US copyright office before sending (publishing) it anywhere. You don't need to wait until you receive the official registration letter which can take months to arrive. More specifically, if you look at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ40.pdf they state that

"When the Copyright Office issues a registration certificate, it assigns as the effective date of registration the date it received all required elements—an application, a nonrefundable filing fee, and a nonreturnable deposit—in acceptable form, regardless of how long it took to process the application and mail the certificate. "

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