Most countries follow the Berne Copyright Convention, which protects both published and unpublished work, and ensures copyrighted works are protected in foreign contracting countries.

The problem with the Berne Copyright Convention is the rigid rules. The need to intimately understand the law prohibit it from being useful in today’s digital age, where the user is now the producer.

In 2001, Professor Lawrence Lessig founded the Creative Commons as a way to bridge the gap between total control and anarchy in the copyright world.

A Creative Commons License is based on copyright and can apply to any work that is protected by copyright law. It gives you the ability to dictate how others may copy, adapt, or distribute your work.

For online writers, Creative Commons is the best place to start. The easy to navigate Web site helps you determine which license is best for you in a matter of minutes.

For an interesting read about the myths of copyright, check out Brad Templetons article: Ten big myths about copyright explained. (Yes, I know there are 11 points, but he liked the title too much to change it.)

A complete version of the US Copyright Law is available at the United States Copyright Office; the complete Australian Copyright Act 1968 (updated to Act No. 45 of 2005) is available from the Attorney-Generals Department, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 can be downloaded from the US Copyright Office.