As is the case with any other profession, becoming a copyright writer requires a long period of preparation and dedicated work. Once you’ve made the grade, you can have a fulfilling job helping companies and individuals register and protect their intellectual property. Here are the general career moves you’ll need to make to earn the title.

Read all that you can, especially samples of copyright statements to help you understand the kind of copy you will produce. For example, visit Business Link's website at http://www.businesslink.gov for sample copyright notices for the Internet.

Familiarize yourself with as much copyright law as you can. The United States Copyright Office (among other sources), provides condensed resources to help you understand the basics, including the fair use doctrine.

Write sample material that conforms to the kind of copyright prose you would like to provide on a regular basis. Work on creating clear and concise sentences, and do your best to follow Strunk and White’s first rule: omit needless words.

Gain some experience by doing some copyright prose work for local nonprofits or other agencies who need help but can’t afford to pay much. This will give you the opportunity to acquire valuable clips that you can use to attract other work. It may also be useful for you to enroll in seminars.

Submit your copyright clips and similar writing to companies who advertise their need for someone like you. As with any other job, you have to be patient and, most likely, you must be willing to endure an entry-level salary until you have built your resume beyond the point of an entry-level writer.