Intellectual Property
Copyright Services
Legal Expertise for Copyright Protection
At Fargo Patent & Business Law, our expert attorneys will assist you in filing copyrights with the Copyright Office.
“Copyright is a type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression.” – U.S. Copyright Office https://www.copyright.gov/what-is-copyright/
Our lawyers will also take the time to review a creator’s work to determine if a copyright is better suited for a larger IP protection strategy. If you are interested in more information on IP protection strategy, visit Our Process page.
Copyright Registration and Infringement Litigation
Copyrights protect tangible mediums such as (but not limited to):
- Paintings
- Movies
- Artwork
- Writings
- Certain software
- Sculptures
- Songs
After approval from the Copyright Office, the original author or creator of any of these works deems immediate ownership of that work. Copyrights last the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.
COPYRIGHT LAW ENCOMPASSES FIVE CATEGORIES
1. Reproduction
Grants the copyright owner the ability to control the making of copies of the original work. Most infringement disputes include some sort of violation of reproduction rights.
2. Adaptation
Provides the copyright owner the exclusive right to make any derivative works of their choosing.
3. Public Distribution
Grants the copyright holder the ability to control the manner in which a work or copies of a work are transferred.
4. Public Performance
Enforces the right for the copyright owner to control the public performance of the protected work.
5. Public Display
Enforces the same rights of public performance, only in display forms. Owners have the right to display or permit others to display the copyrighted work publicly.
IS COPYRIGHT THE SAME THING AS TRADEMARKS AND PATENTS?
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COPYRIGHT, PATENT AND TRADEMARK LAW
Often people get confused as to whether they need a trademark, a patent, or a copyright.. Though they are all similar forms of intellectual property they all have their unique purposes. If you file a trademark when you need a patent or a trademark when you need a copyright, you will not end up with the protection you want.
If you don’t know where to start or have questions, Fargo Patent & Business Law can help you determine what type of protection you need.
For further information and resources about what copyright law is, visit the U.S. Copyright Office.
