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 Copyright is a valuable form of protection that provides authors of original works the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, and prepare derivative works publicly. Copyright protects the form of expression, rather than the subject matter itself. A few examples of copyrights include plays, books, movies, song lyrics, and drawings. 

Copyright registration is required to recover statutory damages and attorney's fees in an action for copyright infringement. If you've ever created something that was reproduced, copied, or posted publicly without your permission, you may be a victim of copyright infringement and have the right to take action. 

Our copyright attorneys provide copyright registration, copyright infringement protection, and copyright litigation services. 

Technically, any material subject to copyright is already protected without going through the official copyright registration process. However, it's worth your time to go through copyright registration. Why? There are few reasons, but mainly because it makes it easier to defend your intellectual property against copyright infringement. 

Benefits of Copyright Registration: 

• It establishes a public record of copyright claim and ownership. The process of filing for and registering your copyright means there's a public record that details ownership of the copyrighted work. 
• Registration is necessary to file for copyright infringement. If you tried to file for copyright infringement on your creative work that has not been officially registered yet, you would have to go through the copyright registration process at that point anyway. Registering your copyright ahead of time adequately prepares you for battling any future infringement claims. 
• International protection against imported infringing copies. Copyright registration allows the owner to create a record with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection so they can stop infringing works from being imported to the U.S. 
• Eligibility for statutory damages, attorneys' fees, and costs. If copyright registration is conducted either before infringement occurs or within three months after a work is published, the owner will be eligible for certain statutory damages, attorney's fees, and costs. 

It establishes solid evidence that holds up in court. When copyright registration is carried out before or within five years of publication, the registration establishes prima facie evidence (this is the Latin way of saying the evidence that holds up in court).  

 Copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, publicly displayed, made into a derivative work, or performed without the copyright owner's permission. 

• Rights to reproduction: The copyright owner is able to reproduce their work in any form they desire. Infringement occurs when another party reproduces copyrighted work without the copyright owner's permission, such as downloading and reproducing a movie and sharing it with friends. 
• Rights to distribution: Copyright owners have the ability to distribute their works however they want to, whether it's selling a song, renting out books, or displaying their work in public. Infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is distributed without permission from the owner, such as a store selling unlicensed copies of a book. 
• Rights to public display: Copyright owners have the right to publicly display their work. This could involve displaying it in a physical public space, such as a park or local business, or posting it online for everyone to see. Copyright infringement occurs when the work is displayed publicly without consent from the owner. This could be as simple as posting an unlicensed version of a photo on the internet. 
• Rights to derivative work: A copyright owner has the authority to create or modify new work based on the copyrighted work in any form. Infringement occurs when an unauthorized party creates derivative work based on copyrighted work. For example, a musician might use melodies, beats, or lyrics from copyrighted works without permission from the original owner. 
• Rights to public performance: Copyright owners maintain the rights to publicly act out their own copyrighted works. Infringement would occur if a separate party acted out a copyrighted play or movie without permission from the owner. 

If any of your creative works have been subjected to the actions above, contact us today for a free consultation to start protecting your intellectual property. 

 Have the rights to your copyrighted work been infringed on by any of the methods mentioned above? Whether you have strong evidence or suspicions your copyright has been violated, contact a copyright attorney to start the process of dealing with copyright infringement today. 

Did you or your business receive a cease and desist letter? 

If you've received a cease and desist letter for copyright infringement and need help with a business mitigation plan, it's vital to reach out to an attorney to help draft a response. Contact our expert copyright attorneys today. 

 Our team of copyright attorneys is highly experienced in handling copyright litigation claims. While some copyright infringement cases are handled with a cease and desist letter, sometimes copyright litigation is needed. 

 mjIP is based in Irvine, California and we serve clients all over Orange County.  We also work with business owners and entrepreneurs in the broader Southern California region, such as Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and San Diego County. 

Whether you need help registering a copyright, protection or defense against copyright infringement, or are looking to start the copyright litigation process, contact us today or give us a call at 949-833-7125 to book your free consultation.