How to Copyright Multimedia Works

US copyright law provides for the coverage and protection of multimedia works. Especially in the age of the internet, coverage of multimedia works is very important. Multimedia works are those authored works which contain several different elements. Examples might include a book of prose with accompanying illustrations, a sound recording intended to be viewed in conjunction with certain video, photographs appended to bodies of text, or the specific acts of cinematography or choreography to be found in video recordings. Fixing a multimedia work in a hard copy for copyright purposes is somewhat interesting in that it must constitute at least two of the following: printed matter (books, charts, posters, etc.), audiovisual material such as videos or films, phonographic records or machine-readable data such as computer discs or chips.

When establishing copyright for multimedia works, it’s necessary to identify which elements within a work are eligible at all for copyright. Identifying such elements is essential in order to ensure that you use the right application forms when registering and avoid any kind of snags that might come about as the result of improper paperwork.

A multimedia work copyright is unique in that it’s expected to contain multiple elements, usually some type of audiovisual element and a sound element, but not always. Audiovisual elements can include filmstrips, slides, films, videotapes, or even images on a compact disc, whereas sound recorded elements are usually constituted by physical recordings or written notation of the music involved.

Like most types of works, registration is not essential to secure a copyright for a multimedia work. However, it does impart a certain number of advantages to anyone who undertakes the process. For one, it provides a clearly auditable date for the establishment of authorship in the case of disputes. For another, it enables you to take legal action against others who infringe upon your copyright. When registering a copyright, however, it is critical to make sure that you use the proper forms and that they are filled out correctly. When dealing with complex issues like multimedia works, this is doubly important.

The materials that you must submit to secure a copyright for a multimedia work depend upon what type of elements make up the work. Those that include pictorial images will require some record of that, whereas textual images require a copy of those in a “visually perceptible form”. Musical compositions usually require a notated description or recording, and computer programs may even require a copy of the source code, or at least some excerpt thereof. For more information, please visit the relevant page at http://www.copyright.gov.