Nothing.
All creative works in the US are automatically copyrighted when first physically made.
There are fees to REGISTER a copyright, but registration is needed only if you anticipate a likelihood of commercial use.
The "mail it to yourself" idea suggested by a couple of other posters is sometimes called a "poor mans copyright", and has no legal value whatsoever in the US.
If a copyright is infringed, and the copyright is not registered, the only legal recourse is to have a court order the infringement stopped - no damages can be sought or awarded. If the copyright IS registered, then there can be damages. There's no 'in-between' area for stuff that's been mailed back to yourself.
Copyright law - including 'poor mans copyright' - is addressed by the US copyright office in the link below.
In the US registration rates range from $30 to $220 depending on the services required and how quickly the application needs to be processed.
US Copyright fees range from $30 USD to $220 USD. More information is available at... http://www.copyright.gov/docs/fees.html
You cannot copyright a business name, but you can register it as a trademark.
First of all, here's a tip. To save money, make a whole bookful of cartoon characters. That way, you'll have copyright access at a lower price than spending hundreds and maybe thousands of dollars on one character at a time. Be sure to copyright the script also. Copyrighting your creations should cost anywhere between $30-$100 more or less. Anders- P.S. By the way my penname is copyrighted.
Unless other arrangements were made, the creator controls the copyright.
It means that the photograph has been protected by copyright laws and any use of the photo must be done with the permission of the copyright holder. There are 2 aspects to the copyright. An unregistered copyright protects the owner of the image and legally allows them up to $300 in claims against anyone copying the image illegally. A registered copyright must be filed through the government and allows greater claims against the infringer
Yes There Is!
It does not cost anything to receive copyright protection in most cases. For a watch, you would need to seek out a patent to protect your product, not copyright.
Copyright fees in the US range from $30 USD to $220 USD.
Protection is free and automatic.
Shareware
It doesn't cost anything. copyright protection, just as in the US is automatic.According to the UK Intellectual Property Office..."There is no official registration system for copyright in the United Kingdom (UK) and most other parts of the world. There are no forms to fill in and no fees to pay to get copyright protection."(see related link for the full text)
It depends on the lawyer. Most copyright lawyers will charge around $300 to register a copyright, but the fee can also go up depending on what exactly you need the lawyer to do.
Ideas cannot be protected by copyright, only the original expression of those ideas, fixed in a tangible form, can be.
The current fee is 200P. Bear in mind, however, that registration is not required for protection.
Business names cannot be protected by copyright, but you can register it as a trademark for $375 on paper, $275 electronically.
Copyright registration (online, fax, or snail mail) information & fee charts are available at the US Copyright Office homepage.
If you buy songs legally from the LimeWire store then it will cost money. If you are caught downloading songs illegally without paying for them then it could cost you a lot of money. To quote LimeWire: What Happens If I Commit Copyright Infringement? Your activities on peer-to-peer networks such as LimeWire may be monitored by copyright owners. Violation of copyright laws may subject one to substantial money damages. Copyright owners have sued thousands of people for infringement of copyright over peer-to-peer networks. (See links below)
Copyright is free, instantaneous and automatic for your creative works of authorship, at least in the USA and over 160 countries in the Berne Union. You may optionally register your ownership in the US Copyright Office for $35.