quote:
Original post by ShadowWolf
Lastly, it''s free to copyright something. Under the copyright act, you instantly copyright anything that you write, publish, or create. You can Register your copyright so that others cannot claim it was your''s and so that you have a stronger case against infringement (otherwise it''s your copyright date against their''s). Registering is very expensive and often pointless. When you see (c), it means copyrighted, when you see (r) it means registered copyright.
All correct and good advice except for the last sentence. the (r) (R in a circle) means it is a Registered Trademark (as opposed to the unregistered trademark which is often denoted by TM) and is nothing to do with Copyright.
The main point to consider when drawing up a contract is that certain words and phrases have a very specific meaning when used in a contract. EG The term "breach" denotes a not so serious failure but a "material breach" is one so serious that it allows the other party to cancel all their remaining obligations under the agreement and effectively terminate. Not something you want to cut and paste into the wrong place.
Dan Marchant
Obscure Productions (www.obscure.co.uk)
Game Development & Design consultant
