Copyright Filing for Websites

A website contains multiple elements that can each receive copyright protection:

• The site’s name (registration ensures you are its owner)
• Its logo
• The graphic charter
• The overall concept, structured and organized like the site’s “script”
• The textual or visual content of each page, naturally protected by author’s rights
• The databases that store critical information—either from you or registered users—serving as the core of your data processing

To protect their site and file for copyright, webmasters and developers often take the following steps:

• Use FTP or similar software to gather their site’s source files into a compressed folder
• Include a dump or backup of the relevant databases
• Capture screenshots of each page of the website

After gathering these components, they submit (file) their site for copyright at Copyright.be, repeating the filing process with every substantial update. By uploading your files, you can generate a reliable time-stamp confirming the exact date of creation and proving your priority of authorship. This straightforward method protects your copyright and ensures your website—along with its content—remains securely filed. Remember to file a new deposit whenever you make significant updates.