When you pour your heart and soul into your creative work, you will want to protect it from unlawful use. That’s where copyright law comes in. But what is it, and how it works? Let’s find out.
Copyright law protects your original work, giving you exclusive rights to use and distribute it. If you create something unique, like a book, software, or music, you can own its copyrights.
Copyright law helps you protect your work from unauthorized use and ensures you get credit and profit from your creations. Without it, anyone could use your work without permission.
You can copyright original work like poems, books, essays, music, movies, visual art, and software, but not ideas, procedures, and titles. And yes, it needs to be fixed in a tangible medium.
For individual work, copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years, while for corporate work, it lasts 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter.
You automatically own the copyright when you create your work and put it in a tangible medium like writing it down, recording it, or saving it on your computer.
You do not need to register your copyright. But as copyright lawyers, we recommend doing it as it provides legal benefits, including eligibility for statutory damages and attorney fees in litigation.
Copyright law grants various rights to copyright holders, such as reproduction, distribution, public display and performance, and derivative works - all of which help you capitalize on your creation.
Fair use allows limited use of copyrighted work without permission for criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, and research. But you always consult a copyright law attorney to be sure.
If you believe someone used your work without permission, talk to our seasoned copyright law attorneys. We can help you take the necessary legal steps and protect your interests.