> You could also spend less than $100 to register the document
> with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Yup. $20. And you can download the form at
ftp://ftp.loc.gov/pub/copyright/forms/formtxs.pdf (most forms are at
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/forms.html -- but the short form TX is
probably all you need).
But...
> Registration allows you to collect at least $100,000 in
> statutory damages and legal costs for copyright
> infringement. For that kind of judgment, you could easily
> find a lawyer who will take your case on contingency.
Well, no. Registration allows you to collect at least $500 and at most
$100,000 as the judge deems is just. In fact the ceiling is usually
$20,000, unless you can show that the infringement was willful. As a
practical matter, you're not going to get anywhere near those ceilings
unless you can really show the infringer is a really bad guy, and that
just makes contingency unlikely. As a practical matter, most statutory
awards will be in the neighborhood of a good estimate of the actual
damages (i.e., your loss or the infringer's profit), unless punitive
damages are deemed appropriate.
As to attorney's fees, registration makes you eligible for them, but not
necessarily entitled to them. It's the judge's call whether you get them.
As a final kicker, neither statutory damages nor attorney's fees are
available to the copyright owner if the work was not registered before
the complained-of infringement occurred. So it's too late for Lani to
take advantage of this.
All that being said, it's still not a bad idea to register a copyright in
a FAQ. A search of the Copyright Office records will turn up this:
+1. TX-3-908-677: Frequently asked questions about Copyright (v.1.1.3)
+ CLNA: acTerrence J. Carroll , 1960-
Further resources for copyright:
My FAQ: http://www.aimnet.com/~carroll/copyright/faq-home.html
The Copyright Office: http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/
-- Terry Carroll | "In a professional sports league game played in the Santa Clara, CA | United States, the head referee ... shall ... in the carroll@tjc.com | event of conflicting calls, review instant replay to Modell delenda est | determine the correct call." - House Bill H.R. 3096
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