Editing Copyright (section)

=== Registration ===
{{Main |Copyright registration }}
In all countries where the [[Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works|Berne Convention]] standards apply, copyright is automatic and need not be obtained through official registration with any government office. Once an idea has been reduced to tangible form, for example by securing it in a fixed medium (such as a drawing, sheet music, photograph, a videotape, or a computer file), the copyright holder is entitled to enforce their exclusive rights.<ref name="Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works Article 5" /> However, while registration is not needed to exercise copyright, in jurisdictions where the laws provide for registration, it serves as ''[[prima facie]]'' evidence of a valid copyright and enables the copyright holder to seek [[statutory damages for copyright infringement|statutory damages]] and attorney's fees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Subject Matter and Scope of Copyright |url=http://copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |website=copyright.gov |access-date=4 June 2015 }}</ref> (In the US, registering after an infringement only enables one to receive actual damages and lost profits.)

A widely circulated strategy to avoid the cost of copyright registration is referred to as the [[poor man's copyright]]. It proposes that the creator send the work to themself in a sealed envelope by registered mail, using the [[postmark]] to establish the date. This technique has not been recognized in any published opinions of the United States courts. <!-- Note to editors: The previously-worded statement, "This technique has not been recognized by any United States court" is overbroad because not all such cases are reported, and it is impossible to know whether this is correct.--> The [[United States Copyright Office]] says the technique is not a substitute for actual registration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Copyright in General (FAQ) |url=http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#poorman |publisher=U.S. Copyright Office |access-date=11 August 2016 }}</ref> The [[United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office]] discusses the technique and notes that the technique (as well as commercial registries) does not constitute dispositive proof that the work is original or establish who created the work.<ref>[http://www.ipo.gov.uk/copy/c-claim/c-register.htm "Copyright Registers"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005014901/http://www.ipo.gov.uk/copy/c-claim/c-register.htm |date=5 October 2013 }}, United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office</ref><ref>[http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-about/c-auto.htm "Automatic right"], United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office</ref> <!-- Note to editors: The previously-worded statement, "The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office discusses the technique but does not recommend its use." overstates the UK IPO position; the IPO does NOT recommend against the PMC approach.-->