One question I get a lot at shows is how can they protect their ideas from being stolen. They ask about actually purchasing a copyright from the government to the old trick of mailing yourself a copy of script or comic so you have a legal timestamp on it.
Well that’s all fine and good, but realistically copyright is more about enforcement and not just having one. When someone breaks your copyright you have to file a lawsuit in order to enforce that copyright. Actually if you don’t sue when someone breaks your copyright, then that sets a precedence that breaking your copyright is okay so the next time someone breaks your copyright, they can point to past instances in breaking copyright to support their break of copyright. That’s why companies sometimes sue or send cease and desist is not because they’re control freaks, is because they have to show that they protect copyright.
So just getting a copyright on your comic idea isn’t enough, you have to pursue legal action each time some one goes against your copyright and that requires a lawyer and lawyers charge a lot by the hour. So what I typically tell people is to not worry to much. Yeah, you need to be careful on who you trust, but you have to learn trust people. Most people in the industry are good people and can be worked with. There are some bad apples out there, but word gets around so it’s not too hard to hear about those guys.
David Doub was a IT professional in the Dallas-Forth Worth area for the past decade, but after several turns in his life he’s going back to his first love, comics. Come read David’s journey has he tries to make it as a writer and creator in the comic industry. The only companion with him on this journey is his cat Jordon, who happens to like the taste of paper. 
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