How Do You Avoid Copyright Infringement?

Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection that is designed to prevent creators from having their original works used without permission. Copyright protections extend to original works expressed in a tangible medium. Basically, anything that you can see, hear, or read has copyright protection. In this digital age, accessing and distributing works...

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What Can Be Copyrighted?

A copyright is a form of legal protection for works of original authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright protection can apply to both published or unpublished works. From the moment the work is created, it is under copyright protection. While you are not required to register your copyright in order for...

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Elements of a Copyright Infringement Case

A copyright provides legal protection which grants creators the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, and create derivative work of a copyrighted entity. If someone other than the copyright holder uses copyrighted material without the owner’s permission, copyright infringement has occurred. It can be a costly legal mistake to infringe upon the copyright of another....

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Supreme Court Rules in Copyright Owner Case

Copyright Registration

You may have valid ownership rights to copyright without a copyright registration. However, Section 411(a) of the Copyright Act makes it clear that no lawsuit may be brought regarding copyright infringement until “registration of the copyright claim has been made in accordance with this title.” The courts, however, have been split regarding the...

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Copyright

A copyright can provide valuable legal protection. A copyright is a kind of intellectual property law protection. If your work is copyrighted, it is so from the moment it is created. Registration of the copyright, however, is required if you ever want to bring a copyright infringement lawsuit. Not all original works are eligible...

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Copyright Infringement

A copyright owner has exclusive legal rights granted by the federal Copyright Act. More specifically, section 106 of the Copyright Act, under Title 17 of the United States Code, protects a copyright owner from someone else infringing, without permission or legal authority, on the rights granted by this law. These rights include the...

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Carlton Dance Cannot Receive Copyright, According to US Copyright Office

Why is the Carlton Dance ineligible for copyright protection?

Fans of the 1990’s TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” will surely remember the iconic “Carlton Dance.”  Throughout the series, character Carlton, played by actor Alfonso Ribeiro, would break out into a dance involving swaying his arms and hips enthusiastically.  Recently, the popular videogame Fortnite...

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