I have invented a children’s board game. But before I try to manufacture it, should I protect it with copyright? How do you copyright anything?
Copyright protection is not something you need to apply for – it’s an automatic right. However copyright subsists in certain types of “work” and does not protect ideas, just expressions of those ideas. For example the design on the board would attract copyright protection, as would the rules of the game. It may be worth posting the rules to yourself so that you have proof of the date that you invented the game should a dispute occur later. You could also register a trademark of the name, so you should be careful not to use a common or descriptive word for the name of the game if possible.