Worried About Copyright? Here's How to Protect Your TPT Resources

One major thing that held me back from opening my TPT store was copyright. I was worried that my lack of knowledge of copyright laws would hurt my store and that I wouldn't be able to be successful. As a brand-new seller, I would worry about being taken advantage of and getting my resources stolen and sold by other sellers. So, I worked on understanding and researching personal copyright as a TPT seller and copyright infringement.

So, let's look at 4 things you should know about copyright for your TPT store.  

What is a copyright?

A copyright is an exclusive legal right given to someone or assigned to print, publish, perform, film, or record material and authorize others to do the same... That's the legal definition. Basically, copyright tells others that it is YOUR intellectual property, and they cannot claim it as their own.  

Why do I need a copyright for my TPT resources?

Basically, you need a copyright on your TPT resources to protect your intellectual property. Adding your copyright to all pages and aspects of your resources states that this is your intellectual property and you do not authorize others to claim it as their own. Doing so will protect your work from getting used by others. If you ever find your resource being sold on another seller's TPT store, that is called copyright infringement. You can submit a request to TPT to take down that resource from the other seller's store.  

How do you add your copyright to your TPT resources?

It's simple! All you need to do is add the copyright symbol, your name, and the year you create the resource. For example, if I were to post a resource to TPT today, I would put (c) Malia Rivera, 2023. It does not need to be very big. Generally, my copyright symbols are size 10-12 point font with a readable font.

To make the copyright symbol, you put ( c ) together. In PowerPoint, having the open parentheses, c, and the closed parentheses in that order will automatically create the copyright "c" symbol.

Tip: If you make task cards, digital or printable, make sure to put your copyright in the lower right-hand corner of each card!   

Where does your copyright go?

Your copyright typically goes in the lower right-hand corner of your resource. Just be sure that you are putting it on all aspects of your resource... This means the cover, thumbnails, preview, thank you page, credits page, terms of use page, actual resource pages, answer keys and anything else you include in your resource! No matter if your resource(s) is digital or printable, put it on there!

Tip: Include your copyright on your free resources too!   

All in all, copyright is not something to be afraid of! But, it is something that is a necessary component of your TPT resources and store. Don't let it stop you from opening a successful TPT store!  

Want to learn more about opening a TPT store? Check out my FREE 5 step guide to opening your own TPT store here!