By Stuart A. Heller To improve the odds that no one will rip off the look and text of your menu, add a copyright notice. 1995 ABC Company Put the notice on the menu once, somewhere where it is likely to be seen. Often it is placed at the bottom of the first or last page.
Small type is okay, as long as it can be read without difficulty.
You can register your copyright with the United States Copyright Office at the Library of Congress, but that is not required in order to secure your rights as an owner. However you will need to register if you wish to enforce your rights in court, but that can be done later when and if the need arises. Without such an agreement, the contractor will own those copyrights. In that case you will have purchased the right to use the finished product, but not the other rights of a copyright owner. The life of a copyright depends on who creates the work.