poor man's copyright

noun

The practice of mailing a sealed, dated copy of one's work to oneself as a proof of copyright ownership, rather than registering the work with a copyright office.

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Meanings

nounpoor man's copyright (uncountable)
  1. informaluncountableThe practice of mailing a sealed, dated copy of one's work to oneself as a proof of copyright ownership, rather than registering the work with a copyright office.
Cite this entry
APA

poor man's copyright. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20man's%20copyright

MLA

“poor man's copyright.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20man's%20copyright. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “poor man's copyright,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20man's%20copyright.

Source: poor man's copyright on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.