COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

Have you created a new piece of art, written a book, recorded a song, or shot a video?  Do you want to know how copyright protects your work and what to do next?

Copyright protects original works of authorship.  Such works of authorship include visual works (paintings, sculptures, photographs, product designs and packaging), performing arts works (musical compositions, sound recordings, motion pictures), and literary works (books, manuals, brochures, computer software).

Copyrights come into existence as soon as an original work is “fixed,” that is, when the work is captured in a permanent medium.  Examples include art painted onto a canvas or a written book saved on a computer.  Copyrights come into existence without any federal registration requirement.  Nevertheless, a federal registration is a pre-requisite to pursuing an infringement claim in federal court, and a federal registration confers substantial benefits, especially when obtained prior to an act of infringement.  Unfortunately, it is too often the case that a copyright owner learns these lessons too late, after an infringement has already begun. Let us help you avoid being deprived of critical legal protections and remedies.