Copyrights
Copyright is a form of protection granted by laws to creators of original works – published or unpublished – such as literary works, movies, musical works, sound recordings, photographs, painting , live performances, software and television or sound broadcasts.
However, copyright law only covers the particular form or manner in which information or ideas have been manifested, which is often referred to as “the form of material”. Actual ideas, concepts, facts, or techniques contained in the work are not covered.
In addition, a copyright protects original works that are fixed in a tangible form expression such as a story written down on paper, a computer program saved on a disk, or a song recorded on tape or musical notation.
Under the Copyright Act, the copyright owner has exclusive right to the following:
- To reproduce the work
- To make derivative works or prepare works based on the work
- To distribute copies by sale, transfer of ownership or lease
- To make a public performance of the work
- To display the copyrighted work publicly
- To authorize other persons to do all of the above acts
However, not all materials qualify for federal copyright protections. Some works or categories of material are exempted or ineligible to be copyrighted. These include the following:
- Works that have not been fixed in a tangible form of expression such dance or choreographic works, or improvisational performances that are not recorded.
- Ideas, procedures, methods, system, concepts, principles, discoveries or devices as distinguished from a description, explanation, or illustration
- Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans; familiar symbols and designs; variations of ornamentation, lettering, or coloring and listing of ingredients or contents
- Works containing information that is common property with no original authorship such as standard calendars, tape measures and rulers, height and weight charts, and lists or tables taken from public documents and other common sources
Besides providing protection to original works, a copyright has the following advantages:
- A federal copyright registration protects your rights in twenty foreign countries
- The work will be included in the Library of Congress
Aside from providing you with exclusive rights to your work, a copyright can also protect your work from being used by other persons. If you register your work within three months after it is published, you can sue anyone using your work for copyright infringement or get a court order to prevent other persons from using it.
If you succeed in an infringement suit, you are entitled to receive compensation for the damages done to you.
Business and Corporate Attorney can assist and represent you in various intellectual property litigations, including copyright infringement claims.
Call us at our toll-free number and avail of our free case evaluation.