Your Copyright Ownership
At Draft to Shelf, we believe authors should maintain full ownership and control of their creative works. When you use our publishing services, you retain 100% of the copyright to your manuscript, book, and all associated content.
What This Means for You
As the copyright owner, you have the exclusive right to:
- Reproduce and distribute your work in any format
- Create derivative works based on your original content
- Display and perform your work publicly
- License or sell rights to publishers, producers, or other parties
- Authorize adaptations, translations, or other modifications
Draft to Shelf's Role
We are a service provider, not a publisher or rights holder. Our relationship with you is purely professional:
- We provide services (editing, design, formatting, distribution setup)
- We do not acquire any ownership rights to your work
- We do not claim any portion of your royalties or revenues
- We serve as your partner in bringing your work to market
Copyright Protection
Automatic Protection
Your work is automatically protected by copyright from the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form. However, we recommend formal registration for maximum legal protection.
Copyright Registration
We can assist with copyright registration through the U.S. Copyright Office:
- Establishes a public record of your copyright claim
- Required before filing infringement lawsuits for U.S. works
- Enables statutory damages and attorney's fees in infringement cases
- Provides legal presumption of ownership
ISBN and Copyright
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is not a copyright protection tool, but rather an identifier for your book in commercial distribution:
- ISBNs identify specific editions and formats of your book
- Copyright protects the creative content of your work
- Both serve different but important purposes in publishing
Website Content Copyright
All content on the Draft to Shelf website, including text, graphics, logos, images, and software, is the property of Draft to Shelf or its content suppliers and is protected by copyright laws.
Permitted Use
You may:
- View and access website content for personal, informational purposes
- Print or download content for personal reference
- Share links to our content on social media
Prohibited Use
You may not:
- Reproduce our content for commercial purposes without permission
- Modify, distribute, or republish our materials
- Use our branding, logos, or proprietary materials without authorization
- Scrape, mine, or systematically extract content from our website
Portfolio and Marketing Use
With your permission, we may use your book cover, title, and author name in our portfolio and marketing materials to showcase our services. This permission:
- Is entirely optional and requested separately
- Can be revoked at any time
- Does not grant us any ownership rights
- Is limited to promotional purposes only
Third-Party Copyright
Your Responsibility
When you submit content for publication, you warrant that:
- You own all rights to the content or have obtained necessary permissions
- Your work does not infringe on others' copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights
- You have rights to all images, quotes, or third-party content included
- You will indemnify Draft to Shelf against any copyright infringement claims
Using Third-Party Content
If your work includes copyrighted material from others:
- Obtain written permission from copyright holders
- Properly attribute all quoted or referenced material
- Ensure fair use guidelines are followed for educational or critical content
- Provide documentation of permissions when requested
DMCA Compliance
Draft to Shelf complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you believe content on our website infringes your copyright, please provide:
- A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner
- Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed
- Identification of the infringing material and its location
- Your contact information (address, phone, email)
- A statement of good faith belief that use is not authorized
- A statement of accuracy and authority to act on behalf of the owner
Copyright Infringement
We take copyright infringement seriously. If we receive a valid DMCA notice:
- We will promptly investigate the claim
- Remove or disable access to allegedly infringing material
- Notify the content provider of the removal
- Terminate accounts of repeat infringers when appropriate
International Copyright
Copyright laws vary by country. While we primarily operate under U.S. copyright law, we recognize:
- International copyright treaties and conventions
- Berne Convention principles of automatic protection
- Variations in copyright duration and fair use across jurisdictions
- The need for international authors to understand their local laws
Copyright Duration
Under current U.S. law, copyright generally lasts:
- Life of the author plus 70 years for individual authors
- 95 years from publication for works made for hire
- Different terms may apply for works created before 1978
Licensing Your Work
As copyright owner, you may license your work to others while retaining ownership:
- Exclusive licenses grant rights to a single party
- Non-exclusive licenses allow multiple licensees
- Licenses can be limited by time, territory, or medium
- All licensing agreements should be in writing
Questions and Concerns
If you have questions about copyright protection, registration, or your rights as an author, please contact us. While we can provide general information, we recommend consulting with a qualified intellectual property attorney for specific legal advice.
Contact Information
For copyright-related inquiries or DMCA notices, contact: