Poor man’s copyright

August 24, 2009
Intellectual Property News and Interesting Facts

Because of the cost associated with copyright registration in the USA some creators, particularly musicians, have attempted to establish evidence of ownership and creation of a work by mailing it to themselves.

In the US this non-statutory practice became known as “poor man’s copyright.”

Today the US Copyright Office makes it clear that the technique is no substitute for actual copyright registration, although the practice may be accepted as proof of creation in a number of national jurisdictions, such as the UK and the Netherlands.

“Poor man’s copyright” may also include depositing a copy of the work with a bank or attorney.

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