Hello Chris!

QUOTE:
"...Your heading down the same pathway as Patents.  Hell I would be choofed if someone copied my lesson plan layout - that demonstrates you are onto something that is worthwhile in this educational marketplace.

All I can say is that if you want to copyright your lesson plan - get a life.....  there are far more important things to worry about." Chris Ainsworth

I think I understand the reason for your comments about this, however, you do not know the reason why I need to do this.  I do not feel that I need to delineate the reasons in a public forum at Moodle.  Just the need or desire to do so.  I placed this post in the "Social Forum" to ask for for help not a judgement call about my life. 

I again request help from any Moodler who may have some experience with this.

WP1

You are absolutely correct about copyrights not having to be stated or legally put in place to be binding.  However, if you are serious about copyrighting material, then taking the legal steps will reduce your headaches quickly if you find someone using your materials. 

As long as the material you write on a forum or anywhere else is original, it can be copyrighted, but if you quote someone or use someone elses work, then it can't be because it is no longer original. 

Don't know if this is 100% accurate, but it is my two cents!

Just to add to Don' statement.

Any work you create is automatically copyrighted. This will allow you some civil protection in case someone makes an unauthorized copy.

There are some cases (stock photographers come in mind) in which you can register your work at the copyright office, at least in the U.S., as far as I recall.

Registration allows you to seek punitive damaged in a civil suit. This will, using the example of photography, allow the creator to claim from the infringer more than just the time and materials for creating the content.

If you have a novel way of presenting material or "method", you can trademark it. One example that comes to mind is a decision making process called "PrOACT" (TM) by Dr. Howard Raiffa. Nothing new in the actual content or process, it is just a package with a name.

However, just putting a copyright notice on your homepage should be enough to let others know that you have decided not release it to the public domain.

As I recollect, Don H., you are right. I was working for an intellectual property lawyer while studying technical writing in college. I recall some of the things he said about copyright that follow the same line of thought you seem to have above.

I recall a few others things, one in particular that might shed some light on the controversy over copyrighting a lesson plan as distinguished from the lesson content. According to Tom Freiburg, a patent and trademark attorney here in San Francisco, any sequence of 6 or more words is copyrightable, which means to my understanding that the lesson plan, in the sense that the words/graphics are arranged in a certain order, is part of the copyright.

One concern! I also read within this thread about using someone else's work. From my readings on various copyright websites

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/present.htm#fucopies
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/index.cfm/catID/804B85E3-9224-47A9-A7E6B5BD92AACD48/subcatid/2EB060FE-5A4B-4D81-883B0E540CC4CB1E

you can quote another's works and attribute those works providing they fall within fair use rules. These rules contain a lot of grey areas, so it is always best to get written permission to use the quoted content within the lesson plan.

Good luck.

As I recollect, Don H., you are right. I was working for an intellectual property lawyer while studying technical writing in college. I recall some of the things he said about copyright that follow the same line of thought you seem to have above.

I recall a few others things, one in particular that might shed some light on the controversy over copyrighting a lesson plan as distinguished from the lesson content. According to Tom Freiburg, a patent and trademark attorney here in San Francisco, any sequence of 6 or more words is copyrightable, which means to my understanding that the lesson plan, in the sense that the words/graphics are arranged in a certain order, is part of the copyright.

One concern! I also read within this thread about using someone else's work. From my readings on various copyright websites

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/present.htm#fucopies
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/index.cfm/catID/804B85E3-9224-47A9-A7E6B5BD92AACD48/subcatid/2EB060FE-5A4B-4D81-883B0E540CC4CB1E

you can quote another's works and attribute those works providing they fall within fair use rules. These rules contain a lot of grey areas, so it is always best to get written permission to use the quoted content within the lesson plan.

Lastly, as you say, once you publish the lesson plan on the web, it automatically is copyrighted; however, few systems that I know of log more than the mere fact that you published something on a certain day at a certain time. As such, formally copyrighting the material (lesson plan) has its merits. Unless the file (lesson plan) somehow gets deleted from your server, that file is labeled in the log. So as long as you can open the lesson plan from the server, it's copyrighted (i.e. you have a way of showing that you are the originator of that content on that day and time as shown by the file and the log. Only someone who can show that they originated the lesson plan before that can claim copyright ownership, but they can do that even if you file a copyright. So...

I once liked a poem so much that I rewrote it with completely different content. I used the rhyme but I changed the content of the poem to express the thoughts I loved then, editing. I made sure that no sequence of original content existed beyond 5 words. So, I could copyright the poem. In other words, I think your lesson plan is safe so long as the file is logged onto the server.

Good luck.

As I recollect, Don H., you are right. I was working for an intellectual property lawyer while studying technical writing in college. I recall some of the things he said about copyright that follow the same line of thought you seem to have above.

WP1:

I recall a few others things, one in particular that might shed some light on the controversy over copyrighting a lesson plan as distinguished from the lesson content. According to Tom Freiburg, a patent and trademark attorney here in San Francisco, any sequence of 6 or more words is copyrightable, which means to my understanding that the lesson plan, in the sense that the words/graphics are arranged in a certain order, is part of the copyright.

One concern! I also read within this thread about using someone else's work. From my readings on various copyright websites

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/present.htm#fucopies
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/index.cfm/catID/804B85E3-9224-47A9-A7E6B5BD92AACD48/subcatid/2EB060FE-5A4B-4D81-883B0E540CC4CB1E

you can quote another's works and attribute those works providing they fall within fair use rules. These rules contain a lot of grey areas, so it is always best to get written permission to use the quoted content within the lesson plan.

Lastly, as you say, once you publish the lesson plan on the web, it automatically is copyrighted; however, few systems that I know of log more than the mere fact that you published something on a certain day at a certain time. As such, formally copyrighting the material (lesson plan) has its merits. Unless the file (lesson plan) somehow gets deleted from your server, that file is labeled in the log. So as long as you can open the lesson plan from the server, it's copyrighted (i.e. you have a way of showing that you are the originator of that content on that day and time as shown by the file and the log. Only someone who can show that they originated the lesson plan before that can claim copyright ownership, but they can do that even if you file a copyright. So...

I once liked a poem so much that I rewrote it with completely different content. I used the rhyme but I changed the content of the poem to express the thoughts I loved then, editing. I made sure that no sequence of original content existed beyond 5 words. So, I could copyright the poem. In other words, I think your lesson plan is safe so long as the file is logged onto the server.

Good luck.

As I recollect, Don H., you are right. I was working for an intellectual property lawyer while studying technical writing in college. I recall some of the things he said about copyright that follow the same line of thought you seem to have above.

WP1:

I recall a few others things, one in particular that might shed some light on the controversy over copyrighting a lesson plan as distinguished from the lesson content. According to Tom Freiburg, a patent and trademark attorney here in San Francisco, any sequence of 6 or more words is copyrightable, which means to my understanding that the lesson plan, in the sense that the words/graphics are arranged in a certain order, is part of the copyright.

One concern! I also read within this thread about using someone else's work. From my readings on various copyright websites

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/present.htm#fucopies
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/index.cfm/catID/804B85E3-9224-47A9-A7E6B5BD92AACD48/subcatid/2EB060FE-5A4B-4D81-883B0E540CC4CB1E

you can quote another's works and attribute those works providing they fall within fair use rules. These rules contain a lot of grey areas, so it is always best to get written permission to use the quoted content within the lesson plan.

Lastly, as you say, once you publish the lesson plan on the web, it automatically is copyrighted; however, few systems that I know of log more than the mere fact that you published something on a certain day at a certain time. As such, formally copyrighting the material (lesson plan) has its merits. Unless the file (lesson plan) somehow gets deleted from your server, that file is labeled in the log. So as long as you can open the lesson plan from the server, it's copyrighted (i.e. you have a way of showing that you are the originator of that content on that day and time as shown by the file and the log. Only someone who can show that they originated the lesson plan before that can claim copyright ownership, but they can do that even if you file a copyright. So...

I once liked a poem so much that I rewrote it with completely different content. I used the rhyme but I changed the content of the poem to express the thoughts I loved then, editing. I made sure that no sequence of original content existed beyond 5 words. So, I could copyright the poem. In other words, I think your lesson plan is safe so long as the file is logged onto the server.

Good luck.

I have read that you obtain copyright on an original work at the moment it achieves physical manifestation. Thus it is not sufficient to have throught of your creation, you must actually create it, write it, paint it etc.

If you are considering putting energy into copyrighting your work, consider your motives. Are you actually intendeing to make mondey directly out of it. What you will really do if you find out someone has breached your rights. Say (for example) you discover your creation hosted on a website on the other side of the world, pehaps with surrounding adverts and there is no attribution to you. (A situation that has happened to me). Are you actually going to be able or willing to enforce your rights across the globe and multiple juristictions? 

Consider an alternative plan, you clearly mark yourself as the author and creator and claim the copyright but you release it under some kind of license that allows reproduction (e.g. creative commons). Your work gets picked up, reproduced but you still get the credit. If you are fortunate your reputation spreads and your career opportunities  are increased.  I have written stuff and placed it on web sites with a licence for reproduction unchanged and as a result received a very nice trickle of revenue from the reputation that has built.