In case you haven’t heard, our written words are under threat of being copied, stolen and sold without our permission. Yes, artificial intelligence is the culprit, and without going down a rabbit hole, I thought I’d give you a few tips to protect your work, especially if you share it online: websites, blogs, newsletters, contests, or even publishing it professionally. The internet is where the invisible robots roam around seeking to steal our work and share or sell it without our permission. Even though our written work is copyrighted - it belongs to us as soon as we put the pen to paper - unfortunately, it doesn’t stop the bots from stealing our words.
How do we stop them? I’m not sure we can. But we can protect our work.
This is going to sound archaic, I must admit, and maybe even a little ridiculous, but as far as I can tell you so far, it works.
First, keep those handwritten drafts. Do not recycle or use them as fire starters. Keep them, sign them, date them and put them in a sealed envelope marked with your name, signature and date. You can even mail it to yourself if you want to - but don’t open it. These original drafts are proof of your original writing and will be evidence if anyone ever dares to accuse you of using artificial intelligence in your writing.
But what if you don’t do the handwritten rough draft? What if it’s all in your computer? Then print it off, date it and sign it in your own handwriting and seal it in an envelope. You can mail it to yourself if you want to, but don’t open it. Do this for each draft, or at least the ones that are worthy of saving.
It’s a bit old-fashioned, but if or when the day comes that you want to publish your book, submit an article to a magazine or enter a contest, you will be asked if it is original. And then your work will be scanned by A.I. to detect whether it has patterns that A.I. has seen before. If it has, you will be accused of using A.I. , and then it is up to you to prove that your words are yours.
One of the ways you can avoid having your work scanned by A.I. is to consistently state in any official document, including submissions of writing for publishing, that you refuse to assist A.I. and decline any scanning of your work.
They may still do it, but you will not have given consent, even by omission.
If you are writing a novel, a memoir or poetry, or any kind of completed work that will be shared publicly, you can copyright it officially here: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/canadian-intellectual-property-office/en/copyright
You can register an ISBN number for a book here: https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/services/publishers/isbn/apply.html
or Email: isbn@bac-lac.gc.ca with your questions.
When you post online, on your website or in your newsletter, make sure your name is attached to your work. Never send your written work in an email unless you know and trust the party receiving it. You can add a watermark to your page with your name on it if you are worried about it being copied. Always ask them to delete it once they are finished with it. Your work should not be saved on other people’s computers or in their ‘iCloud’. It should be saved on your computer, in your filing cabinet, on an external hard drive or USB device.
I can hear those horse-lips, huffing, sighing and grumbling. Why should we have to prove that we are humans using our brains to write stories? If this seems like over-the-top instructions for unknown writers on a tiny island, you might be right.
But after reading this article, I want to make sure every writer is aware so that all personal and professional writing is safe. It’s our right. How Canadian writers are fighting the robots. https://writersunion.ca/advocacy/artificial-intelligence
We live in strange times, but be encouraged; we are in this together. We will keep writing and telling stories that come from our lives, our experiences, and our hearts. Show me a robot that can do that!
