After satisfying the requirements of specific laws, people could put their work under the copyright protection. In this case, they should be able to present evidence that they have created something unique on a particular date. Without copyright protection, third parties could copy the work for their purposes. Each draft should be marked with date and time stamp, so ownership of the website content can be proven during a dispute. Many people create their website from scratch, so, it is a good idea for them to put the proper notice. This indicates that we own the copyright. If we develop the content by ourselves, it could be quite consuming to do.
Website owners should know which element of the website that can be copyrighted. It is important to keep the record all of the early drafts and subsequent revisions when creating the unique content. This could include drawing and handwritten concepts. Other than standard content, database, computer program and source could should also qualify or standard protection. Other than registering the copyright with specific agencies, there should also be reliable and trusted third parties that can verify the ownership. It means that during a dispute, others won’t be able to easily cast doubt upon the credibility of the ownership. On the other hand, the copyright can be used against external parties who copy the content for their own purposes.
However, this can still be quite complicated, that if the work has been altered enough so it superficially looks dissimilar. It’s a factor that we should keep in mind when we create a website. Copyright will allow us to find others liable for copyright infringement. Registration with local agencies, such as USPTO in the United States, is a reliable way to prove the ownership of our work. It means that the work can be included in the public record, so everyone can see who the actual owner of the work is. Countries that are also signatories of the Berne Convention could ensure that the same level of protection can be given, regardless of where the copyright is granted.
Any content we write and computer programs we use should satisfy specific requirements to be granted a copyright. It should be noted that copyright isn’t a way to limit the freedom of expression and innovation. Third parties could still be allowed to do specific things under certain limits. Also, when making major changes to our copyrighted work, we should re-submit updates and complete revisions. This is necessary because the change can be significant enough that the new work looks very different than the original.