Copyright protects original “works” of authorship, which includes written works, music, visual art, sculptures, drawings, photographs, poems, theses, movies, software, television and radio broadcasts, architecture and even choreography. You will see them marked with the © symbol. Copyright protects the expression of the idea, not the underlying idea itself – patents protect ideas while trademarks are primarily concerned with identifying the source of a product. They run through nearly all of the industries of our practice: literature, art, music, film, television and even live performances are based on works that are protected by copyright law.
Attorney Ryan Alexander can counsel you on what steps you need to take to adequately protect your works, and if necessary manage your federal copyright registrations. We can draft contracts and licenses for your works to be used in any aspect of the entertainment industry or in commerce. We engage in copyright litigation and can either enforce your copyrights in prosecuting infringers, or defending you if you have been accused of copyright infringement.
Along with the copyrights, you may have a website that needs protection (or you need to remove a cybersquatter from a site that uses your trademarked name), a non-disclosure agreement for your new prospectus, or brands, logos and slogans that need to be trademarked. You may need a new business entity to hold your copyrights and manage your revenues.
