Saturday, 6 August 2005 - 3:06 PM EDT

Hi,

Although, this is strictly my opinion, and many may rightly laugh at it, I believe that once your website has been published and becomes 'searchable' on the Internet; it is, in effect, automatically protected by existing laws.

If we recognize Internet Domains and websites as
'property'; which they certainly are; then the same laws which apply to physical property, also apply to intellectual property on the Web.

I Quote:

"The term squatter's rights, known more formally as the right of adverse possession, refers to the right to take ownership of property, under certain conditions, simply by living on or possessing it for a certain period of time.

The exact details of squatter's rights vary greatly from time to time and from place to place. Though in modern times most countries' systems of property law favor the rights of property owners over those of squatters, squatter's rights are recognized to one degree or another in most countries.

In the U.S., a five-point test is typically applied to determine whether the right of adverse possession will be granted. The possession must be:

1. actual--the property must be actually put to use or occupied, in a way similar to the way nearby property is used by its owners
2. open and notorious--the use must be public and visible, not secret
3. hostile--without the permission or approval of the current landowner, for instance, without renting or leasing the land
4. exclusive--use of the property not shared with anyone else, particularly the current property owner
5. continuous--used continuously for a certain period of time, which may be 10 years, 12 years, 20 years, or some other period as determined by local law.

Of course, in the final analysis, our web pages are legally the property of Lycos. This could ultimately offer advantages, in the case of copyright disputes. In other words, if someone is stealing our intellectual property, it would be advisable to report the incident to Lycos. They have the resources to investigate such things.

Sunday, 7 August 2005 - 7:50 PM EDT

You cannot copyright a website. However, if you have material that you want to copyright, do so before you post it on your site. Otherwise, it becomes public domain and anyone can use it.

Wednesday, 24 August 2005 - 9:06 PM EDT

hi if you want to know more about copyright protection go to this website http://www.whatiscopyright.org/. It tells you the general copyright information you need to know.