Which copyright form do I use for floral arrangement designs?

← Return to forum

  • I have designed a series of unique floral arrangements. I would like to license to florists countrywide; but I am afraid that once my designs are out there they will be copied with no recourse.
    I have visited the leading on-line sites that sell floral arrangements and have seen that some of them carry the registered copyright logo. I have also seen the logo in floral catalogs.
    I have gone to the forms section of the Federal Copyright Office and read the explanations for the proper use of each form and I am unsure of which form I should use. Will you please tell me which is the appropriate form?

    Thank you,
    Justin Doit
  • It seems to me that you should use Form VA, which includes three dimensional works of the applied arts. Was there some other form that seemed appropriate to you?

    When you fill out the form, please note the stated limitations on protection. Copyright protection does not extend to ideas, concepts or procedures. So someone else could still look at your designs and be inspired to do something that is conceptually similar. Copyright will really only protect your floral design from direct copying.

    By the way, if you select the wrong form or fill it out in error, the Copyright Office staff is usually very good about helping you correct your submission. They are allowed to change your registration form with your permission, so a phone call usually resolves minor errors, although the wrong choice of form would probably require re-submission.
  • Hi ksmith:
    Thank you, so much! I thought it was Form VA also, but it sure makes me feel better knowing that somebody else advised the same one.
    The additional information is also very much appreciated.

    Justin Doit

Posting to the forum is only available to users who are logged in.

← Return to forum