The “long-arm” reach of an intentional copyright infringement claim

The Ninth Circuit applied the State of Washington’s long-arm statute, written to extend personal jurisdiction over a defendant to the fullest extent permitted by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, to affirm personal...

What happens if I do not have a written contract?

What happens will in large part depend on the facts and circumstances of your specific situation. What can happen is that a court may not recognize your agreement as being an enforceable contract. If you...

Does my company own any copyrights?

In the United States, the general rule is that the person or persons who author an original work own the copyright in that work.  There are exceptions to this rule, and it can be altered...

What are the benefits of registering my copyrights?

How do I protect my company’s copyrights?

You can do a number of things to help protect your company’s copyrights.  Some easy steps to take are to include proper copyright notices on each copy of your works.  You can also register your...

What rights do I have as a copyright owner?

In the United States, a copyright owner generally has what is often referred to as a bundle of rights that include the exclusive rights to: Subject to certain limitation, authors of works of visual art...

What may be protected by copyright?

In the United States copyrights are granted to protect an author’s original writings.  Today, “writings” are not merely books but any form of original expression.  This means advertising can be protected by copyrights, including the...

Why are copyrights relevant to my business?

Virtually every business either creates or uses works that are protected by copyright laws. The manner in which your company creates or hires others to create original works of authorship will significantly affect your company’s...