[ANSTHRLD] Copyright stuff

[Rumil Fletcher]

>But fundamentally, I think this looks like a solution to something
>that I don't see as a problem.  I've never heard of a complaint in the
>SCA about someone outside the SCA using their design.

While it is doubtful that an SCA person would ever want to sue an
outside entity for copyright infringement, the reverse is not true.
It is conceivable that a corporation or other entity could register a
device matching an SCA set of arms as a trademark for a particular
product.  If this were to happen, they could sue you, the owner of
the arms, for infringement of their trademark to force you to quit
using your arms.  By copyrighting your arms, you protect yourself
from such a suit.

You own a copyright on an image the moment the ink is dry.  You do
not have to register it with the copyright office for it to be
copyrighted.  However, if a suit ever comes up, you have to be able
to prove that you are the author of the image.  The best way to do
this is to register it with the copyright office.  The next best way
to do it is to publish it in a publicly available publication, such
as a periodical or book.  The copyright office, unlike the patent
office, does nothing to establish the unique authorship of your work.
If and when a suit develops, it is up to you to prove your ownership.
Registering it merely makes that really easy.

Rumil Fletcher