Copyright firms???

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

Hey guys, I have a website project that I'm working on, and I want to try and make money with it.

How do I go about obtaining a copyright/protection for my website?

Is it really necessary if I own the domain name? Currently I'm leasing the domain name from a company that had parked it.

There are already websites similar to what I want to build, so I guess I would be the competition, rather than having to worry about the competition.

Idk what to do exactly. I have a tremendous idea and I need help developing it.

I want to make money via Google Adsense, which to date I have generated $0.12, which is not so bad considering my website is currently "bare bones".

Since this will be a business venture, should I get incorporated???

Geez, there's so much I need to learn about this....

 

[Lexluethar]

What exactly do you want to copyright? I mean you can copyright pictures and images but you can't copyright an idea. Unless it is a particular process that would require a patent, but that wouldn't make much sense with websites.

To give you an idea, google doesn't have their marketing machine patented, they just keep it secret. So what you don't know is that there are thousands of computers in some place that uses bots to rawl all over the web. That is something they can't really patent or copyright... it is just a method - not a tangable object.

If you are wanting to make money with this i would definately get an LLC license.

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

okay cool.

I guess what I'm afraid of would be someone copyrighting the name of my website out from under me, and thus hijacking the whole shebang. If that makes any sense.

So as long as the domain is registered to my name and the google adsense is registered to my name I don't have much to worry about?

 

[Lexluethar]

OH i see, your talkign about the name of the website. No, ownership is based off of who registers the domain name. So you'll have to register the domain in your name then you'll have sole ownership of that domain until the register period ends (obviously you can renew before that happens).

If you want to start a company with the same name (since you are thinking about incorporating) you'll have to register w/ your state to aquire the name. But to my understanding it is a state by state thing, so if you register Testing.com as your company name, someone in another state can have the same name - just not in your state.

I'm sure there are ways around that, but i don't know if it means you have to conduct business in all of the other states or what.

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

Yeah, i figure once the company is making enough money, I'll get incorporated so that I can have taxes and employees on an official level.

My dad ran his business for about 20 years before getting incorporated without any trouble, so I'm not too worried.

Thanks tons though, you've really relieved me on this issue.

Next issue!

Any PHP dev's need some work?

 

[CrazeD]

Any PHP dev's need some work?

Shoot me a PM with a little more info if you want.

 

[synergy]

Technically your work is copyrighted once you produce it. As long as you can PROVE that you created it before anyone else you have the copyright. You can go about registering a copyright but that usually takes a while and costs a few hundred bucks. You can also trademark logos, slogans, or any mark that distinguishes your company. Again, that trademark is yours once you produce it, but registering it with the Feds just ensures you will have legal protection. A registered trademark also takes months and costs hundreds and has to be done for each mark, i.e. your logo would be one application, your slogan another.

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

Okay cool, I always wondered if just being able to prove that i did it first would be enough.

Does it work the same way with inventions?

 

[CrazeD]

No, inventions are a tangible item and thus qualifies for a patent.

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

I know that it qualifies for a patent, but I mean as long as I can prove that I invented it first, is it legally mine?