Copyright a Cartoon
When a cartoon is first drawn, it is automatically protected underneath copyright laws, but for more protection, an artist should register his work for copyright protection. The only official way to do this is through the United States Copyright Office. This office provides multiple ways to register cartoons for a copyright, and they are all easy-to-follow directions that will have your work copyrighted and protected from infringement for years to come.
Instructions
1. Determine whether to register your work as a "Visual Art" or a "Literary Work." If the cartoon contains a lot of text that is essential to the media, then register it as a "Literary Work." If the cartoon is merely drawings, then register the work as "Visual Art."
2. Prepare your work for copyright. If the cartoon has been published, you need to have two hard copies of the published content for the Copyright Office. If your cartoon is not yet published, you can either scan the artwork as a digital file, or send in a hard copy.
3. Register using the electronic Copyright Office. Also known as the eCO, this is the preferred way to register copyrights, because it processes faster and costs less.
4. Fill in the information about the cartoon, including a title, description, media used and author information.
5. Upload the file onto the Copyright Office's website or select to mail in a hard copy. If you choose the latter, the website will load a new screen with mailing directions, including an address and what to put in the envelope.
6. Select your payment type and fill the information, including credit card number, billing address and zip code. Select the "Submit" button and wait for the payment to process.
7. Print out a confirmation of the copyright and check the status of the application every few weeks.
8. Register your cartoon by using the alternative mail-in application. Fill out the application and print out the special bar code application pages. Sign and date the pages by hand before mailing them in with the copyright material.
