Is everything you post to hubpages automatically copyrighted?

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   Silver Qposted 10 years ago

   Is everything you post to hubpages automatically copyrighted?
   
   Or does something else have to be done to get my hubs copyrighted?

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   The Examiner-1posted 10 years ago

   You have to do it yourself. There are two ways to do it:
   1) When you write, or edit, your Hub you look at the right side of the page and scroll down to 'Display Options' and click on that. You will see 'Copyright with a box that says - no notice -'. Click on the arrow in the gray box and then click on your name, it will now appear in the box.  This will appear as a copyright notice on your Hub.
   2) When you finish writing a new Hub open a text capsule at the bottom and type the following - "Author: (your user name linked to profile) type a 'dash' [copyright symbol from top line in text box] type current year" and hit save. {ex: Author:The Examiner-1 - @2013}

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      Rayne123posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      oh I didnt know this myself, have to check it out thanks

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      loveofnightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      this is the method that i most often use.

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      Felisa Daskeoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you The Examiner-1.  I just discovered how to get my copyright for my hubs.  I wouldn't have known.

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   Rayne123posted 10 years ago

   Great question, I am glad you asked has I did not know this answer myself
   thanks

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4. 0

   sheilamyersposted 10 years ago

   If you're referring to having the copyright notice posted, the answer is no. You have to click on the box when your working on a hub in edit mode. If you're referring to whether or not your work is protected by copyright laws whether or not a notice appears on the page, the answer is yes. As soon as you publish a hub and as long as it's your original work, it falls under the protection of copyright laws.

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      The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If it is automatic than why are other Hubbers always complaining that work has been taken?

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      Rochelle Frankposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, that is the right answer. Once anything is published, print or media, it is legally under copyright. However, Examiner, it can still be stolen-- just like anything else you own. You may legally own your car, but someone can still steal it.

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      sheilamyersposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      As Rochelle said, just because something is protected under the law doesn't mean people won't break the law and steal something. They can do that even with the copyright statement in place.

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   in4mativeposted 10 years ago

   Your hub is copyrighted when it published, as your username - which is linked to your real name - is stated on the hub as the author. You can also place an explicit copyright notice on your hub.

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   jellygatorposted 10 years ago

   While it's possible to take extra steps to prove your copyright, your material is protected automatically. However, you have to be very careful when promoting your articles. If you post a link to Digg, for example, you may not realize that in their terms of service you've agreed to surrender your copyright and dedicate the material to the public domain.

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      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I would sure like a citation to this notion of automatic copyright. Intentionally publishing something for the world to see for free. And there is an automatic copyright on that?

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      jellygatorposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, Eric. The copyright laws are clear about it and there are MANY sources of information, at least in the U.S., which is where HubPages is located. Here's a .pdf containing the laws: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/circ92.pdf

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      Rochelle Frankposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Here is an article that makes it pretty clear:
      http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/j … pyrigh.htm

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      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That is only an opinion piece. Not citations within it.

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   5. 89

      jellygatorposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Eric, I posted a response that included a link to the U.S. Copyright office. It says my comment is awaiting moderation. Section 17 of the United States Code and the Copyright office publishes information about the various other laws, too.

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      Rochelle Frankposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The citations in the article are: Library of Congress United States Copyright Office web site at: http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/  Or visit the World Intellectual Property Organization web site at: http://www.wipo.org/eng/index.htm

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      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I will just leave it alone. Those are not citations. Where is it written --- a vague reference to an organization is not helpful. In fact it indicates a lack thereof that the author does not do a minimal quote.

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      Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Here is the information Ericdierker should read:
      http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

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   peachpurpleposted 10 years ago

   i didn't know that there is an option box. Thanks

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   lesliebyarsposted 10 years ago

   After you write a hub or while your working on it scroll down and on the right you will see display options. It's in here there for you.

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      The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Correct, but everyone says that it happens automatically and this is just  a label to show it.

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      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It is false that it happens auto. Not one person can show a law that backs that claim. It is all hearsay upon hearsay without direct citation to a law. Hate me if you will but there is no auto copyright. End of story. Somebody show me a law.

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   Nadine Mayposted 10 years ago

   Yes if your name is signed under an article it is copyrighted, but that does not mean that others can't copy it. I learned through this question  that you can do more than just sign your name in Hubs, but that still does not guaranty total exclusivity. Is there such a thing? I do not think so. We all tap into the Matrix, knowingly or unknowingly.  We often get this question from new authors. Our reply is: Yes the author always holds the copyright to their book, the publisher only holds the PRINT rights during a set period.

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    Writer Foxposted 10 years ago

    According to U.S. copyright law, anything you write is automatically copyrighted whether it has been published or not.  So, if you have written a manuscript and it's just stuffed in a drawer, it is still copyrighted.  Proving it is yours, however, would be difficult.
    
    Publishing your work – either in print or online – with a valid copyright notice, tells others that you own the work. Book publishers and websites will go ahead and file for copyright registration. For your Hubs, this is not necessary unless/until you are going to sue someone for copyright infringement.  To register a copyright, go here:
    http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-register.html
    
    Although HubPages has recently added a way for you to display a copyright notice, I don't recommend that you use it.  Notice how significantly different it is from the one the HP website uses at the bottom of every page.
    
    Here is the notice I put on my Hubs:
    Copyright © 2011 - 2013 Writer Fox™. All Rights Reserved.
    
    The first date is the one of original creation (not necessarily the date it was published on HubPages) and the second date is the current year.  This will be changed on January 1, 2014.
    
    You can upload your individual copyright notice in a text capsule, but you will get one of those pesky little Style Tip No-No warnings.  That is no big deal, does not enter into the QAP evaluation and will not prevent your Hub from being published.  To avoid the Style Tip problem, you can create an image for your copyright notice and insert it in a photo capsule.

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    Corolla98posted 10 years ago

    I think all the articles are copyright.  I used to have an older hubpage account with some articles on it. I tried to redo them all with this account because I had login issues with my old account. Hubpages would not let me redo them because they were published with my old account.

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       The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       That may simply be the difference between the two accounts. Try starting fresh in the recent acct. posting them under new titles. See if that works and then copy-paste the text.

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