Protection of an original literary, idea or artistic work needs copyright which will qualify for protection until it has been set down in lines of code. It can include any type of manuscripts, photographs, architectural plans, software codes, etc. People from various backgrounds benefit from these copyright-like authors who have written original books, plays or poems register copyright to their original ideas. Even in some businesses, they ensure that they assign copyright in created works. It provides more flexible rules for works created by employees who are hired by companies depicting they are engaged in a non-cultural activity and their licensed works do not infringe third-party rights.
There are several advantages of registering copyright to any of the intellectual property. But there are instances when a product or invention can also be benefitted through patent or trademark protection. Copyrights have certain law sets that must be respected. It can be obtained automatically by the owner as soon as some creative form of expression is fixed in a tangible medium. Let us look at some of the importance of Copyright registration for business –
- Registering for copyright through copyright registration service is done automatically. No amount of investment is required to do so. Just apply with the competent national or international registration organizations. On the contrary, filing for a patent or trademark can be quite costly if protection is sought in numerous countries.
- The duration of copyright protection which is seventy years from the author’s death is also an important benefit that one can vouch for to protect their original work.
- Having registered copyright establishes a public record of the copyright holder’s ownership which can’t be bought by anyone. Your work will be published in the Copyright Office’s Catalog and will be searchable to the public.
- Copyright registration has an added benefit that enables copyright holders to sue frauds in federal court. It will avoid a costly dispute over the actual ownership.
- If one has registered their work for copyright before or within 5 years of publication or invention then it has the power to establish sufficient evidence in court concerning the validity of the copyright. It can prevent future challenges to your rights in the work.
- Other than this if copyright registration is made within 3 months of publication of the work from a registration service then the copyright owner is liable to seek statutory damages on infringement of his work.
- Registering a copyright for business allows the copyright owner to record the registration with U.S. Customs to protect against the importation of any of his products into the US. Without registration, a copyright holder cannot bring a lawsuit for copyright infringement.
Registering for copyright makes sense as it has so many benefits including the provisions on statutory damages and attorneys’ fees. Let us also understand and walk you through the process of how one can register for copyright –
To register for the copyright to prevent the import of unauthorized work,
- It is necessary to apply for copyright registration before commencing business.
- The work eligible for copyright registration must contain a small amount of creativity and must be original.
- For copyright registration, you can apply by paper application or apply online through the Electronic Copyright Office.
- Tell the Copyright Office the type of work you are registering for.
- Share details of your name, address, with the contact information and also give a brief overview of the work like – the title of the work, the year it was completed, the date of first publication, etc.
- Submit a copy of your work to the Copyright Office or upload a copy of your work directly to the Copyright Office. Then pay the applicable filing fee.
