Paperclip Komics gets Copyright and ISSN

Yup! Its the National Library in Ermita at the back ! Henry and I are sure exhausted after trekking the whole floors back and forth just to enforce the RIGHT the constitution gives us for our intellectual and creative toil. But don't worry, to those who wants their stuff copyrighted, it'll only takes less than half a day to do it. BOTH COPYRIGHT AND ISBN/ISSN. If you know what to expect...

What to bring:

-1,000 bucks. That'll cover the whole fees for ISBN/ISSN, Copyright, Documentary Stamp, Notary Public, and for the Gatorade/s you'll gulp at 7-11 infront of the Nat'l Lib.

-An I.D. or the National Lib. Reader's Card

-Copyright Application with TYPEWRITTEN ENTRIES and fully NOTARIZED!

-4 copies of work. 2 for Copyright and 2 for ISBN/ISSN

Getting the Copyright

First thing to do is to log-in at the front desk. You'll be given a visitor's badge in exhange for your I.D. Then proceed to the copyright division at the second floor(right wing facing the building). If you already have a notarized and typwritten entry form, then a staff of the copyright division will check the application and gets 2 copies of your work. NOTE: Inside your work should have this printed-Philippine Copyright 2006 by fill name of author/s. Or if you don't have a form, get a copy at the copyright division and fill-up the entries(typewritten only) and have it notarized.

We have a painful experience looking for a notary public and a typwriter! Now there is a street at the other side of 7-11 just perpendicular to Kalaw. Walk straight ahead 'till you cross U.N. Ave. and you won't miss it. They'll charge 170 pesos for typing the entries, notarization, and cedula(20 pesoses)...if you don't have any.

After all the requirements are checked, go to the cashier at the 4th floor and pay 200 pesos. Then proceed to the 6th floor to pay for the documentary stamp. And you're done! Go back to the copyright division to give the application form and receipts. After that we're told to come back after a month to get the certificate.

Getting the ISBN/ISSN

This was much easier but the climb (left wing) going to the ISBN/ISSN office made me wish that they should have a public elevator inside this building. We are kind of expecting a little debate if the officer won't give us the ISSN because of our format, which is comics. She just said, "Ano to? Ah...komiks". Flipping the whole pages one by one, gave us a form to be filled up and followed by an almost murmored "Haay Lord!" after leaving the table and consulting the other officer which we believe was just surfing the net at 10:30 am. After that we paid again 200 pesos at the cashier(4th floor-right wing) then went back again to the ISBN/ISSN division. We showed the receipt then we're finished. We've been told to place the ISSN number at the upper right front cover of our komiks and that we should give two copies to them everytime we publish.

Paperclip Komics issue 2 will be another separate copyright since we will be introducing 4 new stories from 4 new artists.

So that's it. Hope this guide will be handy to those who wants a Copyright and ISBN/ISSN on their work!