Buying an ISBN from Bowker Does Not Get You Copyright Registration Protection in the US

I recently participated in a discussion in a writers’ group on Facebook regarding US copyright protection. I was appalled to find that so many self-published authors believe that purchasing ISBNs for their novels somehow counts as copyright registration protection. It absolutely does not. Let me explain how ISBNs and copyright protection work.

What is an ISBN?

An ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is a unique identifier, often used with an associated barcode, which allows the com...