Copyright advice please.

[tealmoonxiv.livejournal.com]

I've never made a post on LJ before so please forgive me if my post is messy.

A little background; I have a project I've been working on for a very long time, and I care for deeply.
But I have not posted any of it online because I wanted to get it copyrighted first. Actual registered copyright with the paperwork and everything. I want more legal standing if someone tried to profit off of it.

The problem is I'm not sure how to do so since I want to basically copyright the fictional setting I've created.
I do plan to eventually do some comics (or graphic novels) based on it but they will have nothing in common with each other.
The setting, culture, worlds and most importantly the 1000+ monsters and characters are what I want to protect.

How does one copyright something like this? Since it's not something like an image or a novel.
Something that will continuously grow and take different forms?
Does it need a particular type of copyright or documentation?

Sorry if my post is confusing at all it's hard putting this into words :/

Comments

[greenreaper.livejournal.com]

Copyright is the correct tool, at least for part of what you want. But copyright (registered or otherwise) works only once you have secured it in a tangible medium - i.e. you have to actually have written out your ideas. For example, if you want to prevent someone writing their own story about a mystical land with fantastic beasts, you have to have written your own story about them first (or, say, a detailed encyclopedia article). You cannot claim protection on a mere idea, in your head.

You say you plan to create a set of works. As you write each work, the matter within it will become protected. Things that you haven't mentioned yet won't be. (That's only fair, because how could someone have copied you if they didn't know about it to start with?) You can send each written work off to the Copyright Office if you want and feel safer about it, but really it's writing it down that's the basis of copyright protection - just as the primary basis of trademark protection is your own use of that mark.

fenris_lorsrai is right that trademark is also something to consider; at least once you have fixed the name of your setting and plan to release works featuring it within the next six months. That's the difference between someone ripping off your written-down ideas, and someone trying to impersonate your brand. A trademark is more important once you get big, because it's only then that people will use or buy products and services based on the name of their setting.

Trademark won't protect you against someone writing the same story with different names for everything - but you might be able to claim copyright infringement, if the reuse is sufficiently detailed.

Also, a general caution: while it's important to protect yourself, if you spend more time worrying about that than developing your work, it's not a profitable use of your time. Most people think their ideas are worth more than they are. The truth is, everyone has ideas - often, quite similar ones - it's the execution that matters. If you never get around to executing, or delay doing so out of fear that your ideas will be stolen, nobody will make any profit, least of all you.

[tealmoonxiv.livejournal.com]

I know that it has to be tangible, just what sort of tangible is confusing to me. (Though it's looking like an encyclopedia/world bible might be a good idea).

I'm going to look into trademark for the brand, though I'll be doing more research first.

I'm probably getting paranoid over nothing, I just want to give it a little bit more protection. :/

[greenreaper.livejournal.com]

It's understandable - it's important to you, so you want it protected!

Trademarks are not inexpensive compared to copyright registration - though most companies consider them relatively cheap - and it relies on you having used the mark (or being about to), so if you decide to get one, you'll probably want to file around when you release your first work. You can do it directly for ~$275 last I checked.

Putting it down in any fixed medium is, in theory, sufficient. The trick is proving it. Publication tends to be a good way, but registration with the copyright office is the gold standard. You can register multiple unpublished works at the same time (http://www.copyright.gov/eco/faq.html#eCO_1.1), in case you've got one thing ready to go but others need some work. It's $35 and then you've got it on record as yours.

[tealmoonxiv.livejournal.com]

I'll have to save up for a trademark :/

I'll definitely getting it registered though. :3