Concept of Copyright

Copyright refers to the rights that authors, artists and creators have over their literary and original works or compositions.

When you evolve something new, you try to protect and safeguard your creations. You will not allow people to simply copy your stuff and gain undue advantage out of it as it is you who has put all the efforts, precious time and hard work in your development.

Copying someone else’s work or misusing their rights in any way. The person who copies another person’s work seems to infringe the rights of the owner of the original work.

What is Copyright?

It is a legal concept which states that sort, writing, images, music belongs to people who create them and is the intellectual property of the owner. Other people cannot create money out of it.

Copyright Notice:

This notice shall contain:

1. The word “copyright”
2. “C” in a circle
3. Date of publication
4. Name of author/owner

When permission is not required?

When any work is used by someone other than the owner, it is said that the work has entered the public domain. Works enter the public domain when the copyrights for the work have expired. To determine if the copyright has expired or the work has entered public domain the very first step is to look at the publication date as when it was published

All works published in the US before 1924 are considered to be in the public domain.

Works published after 1923, but before 1978 are protected for straightaway  95 years from the date of publication. 

In the event  work was created, but not published, before 1978, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years from the death of the owner.

Works published post 1977, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. If, on the other hand, the work is a work for hire or is published anonymously or under a pseudonym, the copyright lasts between 95 and 120 years, depending on when the work is published. Finally, if the work was published between 1924 and 1963, you should check with the United States Copyright Office to see if the copyright was properly renewed. If the author has failed to renew the copyright for whatsoever reason, the work has fallen into the public domain and you may use it.

Different from Trademark or Patent:

Copyright protects the original work of the author. However, patents protect inventions and discoveries and trademark protects words, phrases, symbols and designs.

Benefits of Registration:  

Public Record:

Registration creates a public record which means the content creator has claimed the ownership. This gives the idea to the public that your work is registered and nobody can infringe your right.

Legal Purpose:

It saves the cost of the owner in case any dispute will occur in the future.

Damages:

In case of copyright infringement  content creators are guarded against actual damage, if the content gets copyright. 

Lead India helps you get your work copyrighted and saves your work from getting infringed.