Technology and Copyright

Information products are still taking predominance and continue to grow hastily. Due to the economic importance and the underlying basis of this new industry for the future development of society and human mankind, intellectual property laws must be laid down to govern and protect the contributors of informational resources.

What is copyright?

The U.S. Copyright Act protects the literary of any scientific and artistic works whether it is published or unpublished and grants the author of the piece the exclusive rights to the writing.

What can be copyrighted?

In order to shed light on the scope of how far copyright law can reach, consider the following examples of possible copyrighted pieces.

• Books
• Essays
• Plays
• Songs
• Dance moves
• Photographs
• HTML coding
• Graphics
• Architectural designs
• Motion pictures
• Sound recordings

Copyright laws grant the creator the exclusive rights to distribute, perform, display, sell, reproduce and modify his/her work and prohibit others to use it without the mention of the creator’s name.

When does copyright begin?

Basically, it is that easy: A writer creates a short story, prints it out on paper, signs his name with the © symbol and puts the piece in an envelope which is then addressed to himself. Once the envelope gets back to his house, it remains sealed and the stamp then serves as proof for the date of creation. The following day the creator then registers the copyrighted piece with the U.S. Copyright Office and then, he has grounds to sue for monetary damages in case of a violation. However, in case a violation of the copyright should be discovered before the piece reaches the U.S. Copyright Office, the dated envelope will still grant him the right to assert himself as the true author.

Copyright infringement

Just like any other product of value, intellectual property is desired and sought by others. If somebody violates the rights of the copyright owner/author can expect consequences. If it has been determined that a person is guilty of copyright infringement, the court may order a confiscation of the items to prevent further misuse and monetary damages which will be paid to the true owner in order to compensate for loss of income or the damages suffered from the illegal use of his/her work.

The enrichment in the explosive growth in technology plays a main role in our society. Therefore it is crucial to protect the authors that contribute in any way to new technological advances and our abundance of information in digital or printed form. If you are the author of a copyrightable piece and are not sure as to whether you will need a copyright or if you are not sure how to go about securing a copyright, you might want to contact a copyright attorney. Maybe you are the owner of a copyrighted piece and you are aware of an infringer who is wrongfully making use of your wordand you would like to take legal action.

If you need help concerning a copyright matter, contact one of our Copyright Attorneys and seek information how to protect your legal rights.