More About Copyrights

The holder of a copyright controls the right to copy the underlying protected material.  Copyrighted works may not be reproduced without permission.  Permission is granted via a license.  As such, a properly registered copyright is critical to creators.

Many other types of works qualify for copyright, but some major examples are writings, recordings, artwork, and videos.  Registration with the US Copyright Office is essential to maintaining a clear record of who has contributed to the work.

Without a federal copyright registration, it is more difficult to enforce your rights to stop acts of infringement.  When there is already question as to the identity of the true author, you may experience difficulty in providing evidence of your authorship and date of creation that will be considered useful in court.  Although computers are a useful method for recording the date of creation of works, the federal register provides you with more than mere records.  Federal registration also provides you the benefit of statutory penalties, including a potential $150,000.00 statutory fee for copyright infringement.

Therefore, federal registration is important in stopping infringement, maintaining control of a work, and avoiding costly legal disputes. We are well-equipped to understand, represent, and protect your creative needs. 

Your creative works of expression may be your most valuable assets. If they are not fully protected with federal copyright registration, now is the time; a legal dispute in the future will be far more costly and time-consuming than any fees you’ll pay for federal copyright.  For example, in addition to litigation costs, the potential loss of a claim could mean as much as several million dollars lost in earnings on an infringing, yet commercially successful record.

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JD James & Associates is an experienced office that has handled copyright issues for a variety of clients, including television/film writers, novelists, musicians, and visual artists, covering copyright registration, assignment of copyright, copyright infringement, musicology reports, prior art reports, derivative works analysis, works for hire, exploitation rights agreements, sync agreements, and other copyrights and licensing concerns.

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Our copyright registration fee begins at $500.00 and includes application support through registration of your mark.  Please contact us for pricing on other claims.