You need to concern yourself with intellectual property rights at the start of any new business,and consider contacting a copyright lawyer (ARFHS) to understand the law and why it is so important to protect your copyrights,trademarks and unique products/services. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Copyright protections cover original works of authorship,including literary,dramatic,musical,artistic,and certain other intellectual works.
As the owner of the creative/artistic work,you own a variety of rights associated with your work,including the exclusive right to distribute,reproduce,perform,display,and prepare derivative works. A copyright is a set of rights to an original work of authorship or other creations that are literary,dramatic,musical,artistic,audiovisual,and architectural in nature.
The United States Copyright Office requires a deposit copy of the work for which copyright registration is sought. The copyright owner is mandated under U.S. copyright law to make a copyright deposit of all works and materials within three months of the publication or production of the copyrighted work or material.
Though copyright registration is not necessary or required for securing a copyright,it is strongly recommended for published or commercially-distributed works,for it protects the copyright owner from infringement violations. Both published as well as unpublished work can be registered under copyright,and there is no bar in registering an already disclosed or published work. Registration of unpublished works is a more subjective decision because it will depend upon how widely the copyright owner will distribute the unpublished work,the value of the work,and the likelihood that someone will copy it.
The copyright law can grant a person exclusive rights to control and use and distribution of an original work. You may be infringing copyright if you photograph the whole or a substantial part of a literary,musical,dramatic or artistic work,if the work is still protected by copyright.
U.S. copyright law has a “Fair Use” provision,allowing third parties to legally use copyrighted content without authorization under certain circumstances. To read more about exactly what is considered fair use and what isn’t,readarfhs.org.
A copyright establishes a number of exclusive rights to the creator or owner of a creative work.
A copyright gives its owner the legal right to sue another for the unauthorized use of the work covered by the copyright. The owner of the work has the exclusive right to reproduce the works,prepare derivative works based upon the work,distribute copies to the public,perform or display the work publicly.
When you have a federally registered copyright,you can control exactly how your intellectual property is used,published and distributed,as well as exactly how it is presented to the public,and how you generate revenue from it,such as through licensing agreements. Registration of copyright requires the deposit of at least one copy of a work and two copies of a published work. When a work is published,the author may choose to place a notice of copyright on the work to notify the public that the work is copyrighted.
Registration of a literary work is optional since a literary work gets a copyright automatically.
You need a skilled and knowledgeableCopyright Lawyer Houstonto help you create the best terms and protect your new copyrights.
Consulting IP attorneys with experience and understanding of copyright and trade secret law can help prevent issues with loss of revenue as a business grows.