Copyright transfer

Completing the Copyright Transfer Process
Where do I download the copyright form, I do not see a link?	The copyright transfer process is now fully electronic and integrated in the submission process. Hence you no longer need to download and send a signed copy of the copyright form since you will need to go through an electronic signing and transfer process.
What is the Electronic Copyright Form that I have to sign?	The electronic Copyright Form (eCF) is a fully digital version of copyright forms you have been signing for past conferences. Depending on whether or not the conference is an IEEE conference, you may be forwarded to the IEEE eCopyright server to fill out the form directly at their site, or you may go through our own version of electronic copyright transfer agreement collection system.
How is an authorďż˝s copyright status determined?	If you are employed by the U.S. Government, and you are the sole author of your paper, then your electronically collected signature will appear on the ďż˝Copyright Form for U.S. Government Employees.ďż˝ If you are employed by the U.S. Government, but your coauthors are in private industry, then one of your coauthors should sign the Copyright Form. If you are the sole author and you are employed by a Crown Government (or if you and your coauthors are Crown government employees), then copyright to your paper will remain with the Crown government. Your signature will appear on the ďż˝Copyright Form for Works Subject to Crown Copyrightďż˝ box. However, if you are employed by a Crown government, but your coauthor is in private industry, then your coauthor should process the eCP. In all other cases, you may complete the process yourself, on behalf of all authors of the paper.
How do I ďż˝signďż˝ the eCF?	Simply by typing your name at the proper location and filling out the date.
Does a typed name carry the same legal weight as a handwritten signature?	Until the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ďż˝E-Signďż˝) was signed into law in 2000, a handwritten signature on all copyright transfer forms was required. The E-Sign Act now gives an electronically signed form the same legal effect as that of an original, hand-signed document.
Donďż˝t you need to use a higher level of security, such as digital certificates or encryption keys?	If this was a financial transaction then we would be obliged to use such technology. Given the relatively modest status of this kind of transaction, it is not necessary to go to such a level of security.
How do you authenticate the signee?	The only way to get to the eCF is if youďż˝ve already been authenticated through the manuscript submission process. Since only the owner of the PIN or an authorized user can access the system, the authentication process is implicit.
How does this eCF process work?	You will be asked a series of questions. Once they have been answered, you will see the information on the form. After confirming the information, you will need to do is type in your name and date in provided boxes at the bottom. Once you click on the ďż˝Submitďż˝ button, the process will be completed, and you will automatically receive a copy of the signed Form via email.
What if I am not authorized to sign the Form?	If you know that you are not in an authorized position to sign the Copyright Form, then have the suitable person submit the information. You will need to follow a different track in the electronic copyright transfer procedure. The burden of having the right person complete the process is left to the authors.
What exactly is copyright?	Copyright is one of a group of intellectual property rights (or laws) that are intended to protect the interests of an author or copyright owner. These laws give an author/owner nearly exclusive control over the use of his/her work. In particular, copyright protects the specific expression of an idea (e.g., the specific wording of your text) but not the idea itself. Copyright comes into existence the moment a "work" (an article, a book, a computer program, an email, a symphony, a sculpture, etc.) is first fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which it can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
What happens when an author signs a copyright form?	When an author signs the Copyright Form, he/she is transferring ownership of the copyright rights in the work to the appropriate organization. Any use of the content of the "work" in reproduction requires permission from the organization that holds the copyright to the "work".
Can I submit a modified version of the work to another conference or journal?	The copyright protects the specific expression of an idea (e.g., the specific wording of your text) but not the idea itself. Hence the idea expressed in a significantly modified or expanded form may be submitted to another conference or journal.
What if I have questions that havenďż˝t been answered here?	Contact information of the person responsible for copyright related issues at the cognizant organization appears on the copyright form. Please contact them directly for further clarification on the matter.

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