Protecting your copyrights is protecting your business. All too often, business owners do not think about protecting their “original works of authorship” (as the Copyright Act calls copyrightable works) until it is too late. One of the most common things we see is companies that hire independent contractors without adequately protecting themselves. We can help you protect your business’s copyrights and intellectual property, including:

• literary works
• musical works, including any accompanying words
• dramatic works, including any accompanying music
• pantomimes and choreographic works;pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
• motion pictures and other audiovisual works
• sound recordings;architectural works
• vessel hull designs

We are also able to assist with obtaining the appropriate licenses from services such as The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) so that you can use a copyrighted work in, a public performance or on your website. We can protect you from third parties who post potentially infringing material on your web portal, including helping you comply with the requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the “DMCA”) Safe Harbor provision.

When possible, we help avoid costly litigation through prevention, including registration, work for hire and assignment agreements, takedown notices and negotiated settlement. However, when necessary, we are prepared to litigate to protect copyrighted works or defend against charges of copyright infringement.