Q: Does mailing a copy of original work to yourself give you any copyright protection?
I have a brochure I made in 1998 I only have the one copy that I mailed myself to protect the work. I want to update it but don't want to lose any protection I might have by opening the envelope. Is it protecting me, and thus needs to remain unopened, or is that an urban myth?
A:
This is an urban myth. Original creative works receive copyright protection as soon as they are created in some retrievable form, that is, when they're written or printed. Mailing yourself the work does nothing to enhance that copyright protection. However, filing for statutory copyright protection with the U.S. Copyright Office, and mailing a copy to them, will afford you better ways to protect your copyright protections.
Consult with an attorney if you need assistance filing for copyright protection with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Glenn B. Manishin agrees with this answer
1 user found this answer helpful
A:
Will Blackton is spot on. You don't get anything for mailing yourself a letter - save yourself the stamp! You actually have legal and enforceable copyright protection on any creative expression as long as it is fixed in a tangible means. So as long as you put pen to paper, keyboard to digitally stored file, music on a track or paint to canvas, you have protection.
To further fortify and enable enforcement of your creative work to prevent others from infringing your copyright, it is helpful to register it with the Library of Congress. While you can do this on your own, many artists choose to have an attorney handle the copyright application to make sure everything is done right.
Will Blackton agrees with this answer
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