Artists, authors, musicians, photographers and others in New York create various works in their careers. These are original works that people put a lot of time and effort into creating and in many situations, want the world to experience them.
However, as it is often the creators’ job as well, they need to be compensated for the work they created. To ensure that they are the only ones who benefit from their creation, original works are copyrighted by law.
While copyright laws protect the work, there are protections that people can add to secure their ownership over the work. People can register their copyright with the Copyright Office.
Protections of registration of a copyright
The further protections that are available after registration include, but are not limited to:
- Creating a public record of key facts about the copyright such as the title of the work, the author of it, the date of creation, whether the work is published and other facts about the work
- Allows people to file copyright infringement actions
- Establishes a prima facie showing of the validity of the copyright
- In an infringement, lawsuit it allows the creator the opportunity to ask for statutory damages and attorney’s fees from the infringing party
- It also establishes a record of the copyright with U.S. Customs and Border Protections, which can protect from importing international works that may infringe on the copyright
People in New York put much effort into writing books, creating and performing music, writing for and creating movies, painting, drawing, photography and creating other artistic works.
It can be very frustrating and damaging when another person copies that creation for their own benefit. Registering a copyrighted work with the Copyright Office can help prevent that from occurring as well as provide a way for people to be compensated when infringements do occur.
Experienced attorneys understand both the registration process and the legal process if a person copies another person’s original work. The attorneys may be a useful resource.