copyright question

[DBoz699]

i was thinking of submitting one of my movies into a film festival...and i was wondering..do I have to copyright patent...etc. and then release it to the film festival?

 

[thisiswells]

if you shot it, you own it. if you would like to formalise that relationship, registration is a good idea.
patents are for inventions, like if you invented medicine.

 

[Barry_Green]

Yeah, you wouldn't patent a movie, but you can register the copyright by downloading the form at http://www.copyright.gov. As Brian said, you already own the copyright, but registering it (which costs about $30) would give you the option to sue for additional damages in cases of infringement.

 

[DVX100Shooter]

takes about 3 months. I just copyrighted some music and I sent the check in back in December and I received my form from the Library of Congress in early March. Also you may want to send your money and forms to them by registered mail where they will have to sign the little slip and have it returned to you. As soon as you get the little slip back then you can start sending you stuff out and you don't have to wait for the actual form to get to you.