Anthology Copyright

These are questions better asked of Jaws or other publishing attorneys. I just don't know the answers. Good luck

cesarcarlos said:

Hello,

I have a small doubt regarding a new anthology I'm working on. We have a copyright page (page 2) where we put Copyright 2006 and the name of the publishing house. However, I've seen other anthos where they include an additional page with individual copyright notices for every contributing author (apart from the main one by the publisher). Are these individual notices required?

Thanks

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I can only tell you my experience. Most often, the individual notices are used when the writer has already published the piece elsewhere, and it has, therefore, been previously registered with the LOC. In these cases, yes, the individual copyright dates and names should be listed, along with the name of teh publication where the piece was originally published.

If your anthology is filled with original fiction, however, none of which has been registered with the LOC, then such individual notices are not required, unless you and the writers decide you want them. The overall form of the book should be in the publisher's name, but the writer should still retain copyright to the individual pieces, which does not mean you need a separate page, unless you want to do so.

Separate copyright pages are not strictly required, and haven't been since March 1989 (when marking became optional). However, they are a good idea, because the anthology copyright provides no protection whatsoever for the individual contributors. None. Unless, of course, the anthology is entirely works made for hire.