Companies profit from many things and often need their intellectual property protected. In many cases, this can be a patent, trade secret, or protection for a marketing trademark. If your business is creative in nature, then your creative work could also need protection. It may be hard to know if you need a copyright lawyer for the specific issues you’re dealing with. Thankfully you can often get a free consultation from a copyright lawyer, which is a great way to determine the best path forward.
Read more to know whether you need a copyright lawyer to protect and enforce your rights to unique creative works.
So, What’s a Copyright?
A copyright protects the creative works of an artist, author, or another type of creator from the misuse or misappropriation of their work. This prevents others from using the unique work without the permission of the creator and allows the creator to profit from their creations. Some of the most commonly copyrighted material includes books, poems, music, singing, movies, other video recordings, sculpture, art, and theater.
For more information, you can read our past article on the differences between a trademark and a copyright.
How a Copyright Lawyer Helps You Protect Your Work
As soon as a creative work is made in the United States, it automatically receives copyright protection. However, enforcing this protection can be difficult unless the copyright is registered with the United States Copyright Office (USCO). There are many benefits to copyright registration, and working with an experienced copyright attorney is your best option for securing and enforcing your copyright protections over a creative work. In order to register with the USCO, your attorney will complete an application with the federal office along with submission of a copy of the work that is to be registered. You must also pay a fee to the USCO, and it is important to know that you will not get the application copy sent to the office returned to you.
Once your copyright is registered with the USCO, you have remedies for copyright violations that you would otherwise not receive through the courts. You can force the violator to return or destroy any copies of your original work as well as pay you back for any profits received from utilizing your unique work. You can also receive an injunction from the court that prevents any future misuse of your copyrighted work by the wrongdoer.
Call or Contact Us Today
If you have more questions about whether you need a copyright attorney to protect and enforce your rights to unique creative works, talk to the experts at Counsel for Creators in Los Angeles. Call the office or contact us today to schedule a free consultation of your case now.
