Copyrights: Texas

A copyright is the legal right of the owner of a creative work (such as a book, photograph, song, or movie) to protect his intellectual property from misuse by others. Your Texas lawyer can register your creative work with the U.S. Copyright Office so that you receive extra legal protections under federal law. In some instances, the person who violates your registered copyright (a copyright infringer) will have to pay more money in damages and your attorney fees.

Note that copyright law is not designed to protect ideas and facts…just the particular way that you have arranged those facts. This includes preventing someone from taking your book and turning it into a movie (a derivative work) without your permission.

Unfortunately, copyrights are based on old laws that can’t keep pace with technology (such as the Internet). When Congress changes copyright protections, the rules are made more complex and confusing — plus they are designed to protect Hollywood movie studios and music companies (the fat cats that make campaign contributions to get those changes passed into law).

You’ll want to speak with your Texas business lawyer who knows copyright law to make sure that you get the right legal protections in place for your creative works. This will help you limit any damages caused by copyright infringement.

About the Author

With an advanced international law degree from Georgetown University and more than 14 years of real world legal experience, Attorney Mike Young shows Texas entrepreneurs how to protect and grow their businesses.
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