Legal Question in Intellectual Property in California

Re: How safe is this idea?

First of all, don't disclose your Big Idea to lawguru.com. We are all lawyers and we are constantly on the lookout for doormat ideas to steal. Doormats, like other forms of creative expression, enjoy some copyright protection from the moment they are first created. But seriously, this is just not that big of an idea that you are either going to make big bucks off of it, or that someone else is likely to steal it, or to sue you over it. I would note that if you type "Drama-Free Zone" into google, you get 13,100 hits, so your phrase appears to be somewhat unoriginal. Next time you wake up with a flash of inspiration, you could register your catch-phrase with the Copyright Office (copyright.gov) and affix a copyright notice ("� [year][your name] All Rights Reserved" or just "� [your name]"). This will entitle you to enhanced damages against a copyright infringer. By the way, all of us lawyers really hate drama (except within entertaining theatrical productions), so please accept my sincere thanks for your efforts in helping to promote a drama-free America.