Copyright law is the body of law that governs how a copyright owner can legally use his or her works. This includes original literary, dramatic, cinematographic, painting, and other visual arts. The owner of the copyright can do anything he or she wants with the work he or she owns, except sell it to someone else, or give it away free. It’s important to note that in the United States, the term “copyright” does not refer to the laws regarding copyrights, but rather refers to the laws that address sound recordings and other works in the public domain.
Copyright is actually a form of intellectual property that grants the owner of it the exclusive right to create copies of a specific creative work, most often for a limited period of time. The creative work can be in a written, musical, artistic, or visual form. A work may also be copyrighted if it was created by the use of a machine, including a computer, and if the work can be reproduced by any means other than copying. Examples of this include motion pictures, television shows, musical recordings, and photographs. Although it can be confusing, it’s best to think of copyright as a protection against theft, since the term doesn’t have anything to do with the legal value of the items it protects. If a theft claim were to succeed, the owner of the copyright would be able to sue the person who stole the work under the law.
The first step to getting a copyright registration is to file the appropriate paperwork with the US Copyright Office. Two different types of applications are available, known as an application for the public record and an application for registration of a copyright. Both of these documents must be filed with the US Copyright Office in the proper manner, and the timeliness of the filing is critical. A copyright registration is considered complete when the registration papers are received by the office, and if the registration is approved, the copyright registration number is sent to the US Register of Copyrights. This number will remain with the copyright for the purpose of protecting the copyright registration from being canceled.
Another important requirement for filing a copyright registration is that it must be filed with the Register of Copyrights before it can become effective. To do this, the registration must be published in the Register of Copyrights’ website. There is also a time limit within which the registration must be filed, and if the time expires, the registration becomes ineffective.
While the registration of the copyright does not guarantee protection from future lawsuits, it does guarantee the validity of the copyright and the authorship of the work. Registration of the copyright prevents another party from using the work without permission. However, it does not provide protection from the original work itself. If the copyright registration is denied, the plaintiff is not required to prove actual damages or loss.
The most common uses of the copyright are to protect the original content of the work from being altered or copied. It is also used in some instances to guarantee the profits of the author. In order for an author to protect his or her original content, two factors must be considered. These include a) the likelihood of future use of the work and b) the revenue earned through its use. The second factor requires the court’s discretion because the copyright law is generally seen as having an economic motivation to discourage the unauthorized copying and use of the copyrighted content.
