Hello there,
I have been working now for more than half a year on a Multiplayer Browser Game which could be finished and ready to be put into the internet in just some weeks now.
Now I am very clueless about these things like copyrights and protection and so on. I've read some articles about it but they didn't helped me much on understanding this topic.

So, it is going to be a game I want to put on the internet. Do you know if I need to deal with some legal things beforehand, like securing the general game idea. In other words: how can I make it safe (in terms of copyright) from being stolen?
I have also heard that I might need to secure the name it is going to use. I live in Portugal so when I secure it, it is only secured in Portugal, right?

Later on, if everything works fine, I will add a Membership Option with payment. Do I need to register it then and probably also pay taxes for the income? How can I prepare myself for that?

Thanks in advance,
Schimassek

EDIT: ups, the topic got moved, sorry for the trouble. But wasn't there a small misunderstanding. I was meaning security in terms of content rights, in the coding sections it seems to me as Server security. Sorry if I was unclear.

The legal issues here for international protection of copyrights and patents is very complicated. If you want to go this route, then the best thing would be to consult an attorney.

NOTICE: I am not an attorney and I do not offer legal advice -- that's what attorneys are for.

From what I have read for US laws, the additional protection of securing a patent or copyright gives you standing in court for violations of those protections that you won't otherwise get, including statutory damages.

Being a US citizen, I can't tell you the first thing about Portugal.

Either way, just remember that there are countries that don't follow treaties and people will run things through one or more of those countries to thwart your effort. International enforcement is a real pain in the booty.

Again, an attorney can give you the specifics as they will vary substantially from country to country, so if you're going this route, the absolute best thing to do is consult an attorney.

I agree with getting an attorney. However, I'm fairly certain that just by creating any intellectual property, it's copyrighted automatically. That includes digital media, books, music, and so on. You might want to take a look at this thread for reference.

In the US that's true from what I read on the US Copyright site. However, if you want to enforce that, then you'll want to have a formal copyright so that you can have greater standing in court and statutory damages ensured.

I see... thanks for the help.
I will check an attorney to get the details =).

Schimassek...