A copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to authors of "original works of authorship." This includes literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other intellectual works. This important protection is available to both published and unpublished works, and is highly recommended by both Schiel & Denver's editorial and legal departments to prevent unauthorized copying and plagiarism of your book.

How Does U.S. Copyright Protection Work?

Schiel & Denver Book Publisher's legal department will register your book with the United States Copyright Office. This will officially establish a public record of your copyright claim, and confirm your legal ownership as the author to your book.

Schiel & Denver Book Publishers also offers all authors who work with the company a unique copyright protection service available at a subscription of only $49.99 per month, which enables our legal department to investigate cases where you believe your work's copyright has been violated.

Why Is A Valid U.S. Copyright Certificate Important?

1. An author of a copyrighted work can prevent others from copying, performing or otherwise using the work without the author's consent.
2. Investing in a U.S. Copyright registration will serve as a basis for your legal protection against intellectual property theft and plagiarism. It is necessary for works of U.S. origin to have a valid copyright registration in place, before an infringement suit can be filed in a U.S. court.
3. For U.S. citizens, registration will also allow you to register copyright with U.S. Customs to protect against the importation of infringing copies of your book
4. If registration is made within 3 months of publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, the copyright owner is entitled to statutory damages and attorney's fees in court actions.
5. But without registration, it may be more difficult to establish sufficient evidence in court of actual copyright ownership, and only an award of actual damages and profits will be available.

*As an integral part of our editorial policy, Schiel & Denver strongly advises all authors to consider registering their book with the U.S. copyright office.

Schiel & Denver's attorneys will remove all the legal hassles, and obtain a valid certificate of copyright for both our and your records, offering substantive legal protection for your book.

What Else Do I Need To Know?

• Please note: The U.S. Copyright Office is currently stating that it will take them over 12 months to issue a certificate of copyright from the date of submission. (Updated 15.06.09)

• When Schiel & Denver receives the official certificate through our legal channels, we will immediately forward you notice of copyright.

• Books in non-english languages (i.e. French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic) are also eligible for U.S. Copyright Registration and protection - through international treaties.

• From  a legal perspective, your work is actually under copyright protection the moment it is created, and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly, or with the aid of a machine or device.

Schiel & Denver's friendly book publishing professionals are available to help you choose the right mix of book publishing services and products for your book. Open a ticket with our 24/7 author support department to discuss your book publishing options.