Protecting your intellectual property is extremely important. For businesses, think of it as protecting the brand and image that is conveyed to the public. You want what they see to be within your control. Copyright registration gives you this control.
Copyright applies to all original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. This includes books, music, sculptures, paintings, photographs, films, plays, television programs, radio programs, and computer programs.
Despite the fact that you will always retain rights to your originally authored works, registering your copyright with the Copyright Office is still a good idea for several reasons.
Registered Copyright is evidence of ownership. If your copyright ever comes under the scrutiny of litigation, if it is registered it is considered valid and it is the defendant who will bear the burden of proving that that is not the case. When you register your copyright, there is a public record showing that you are the owner. Without that public record, there is just your word.
Being on the Copyright Register also helps with finding an owner when permission to use a work is sought. This can be very lucrative for the owner of registered copyright because they can easily be found to license their work and can charge fees/royalties for its use.
For succession planning it is also very important to have copyright registered as it provides the owner with an easily transferrable and valuable asset.
The registration fee is a one-time cost and generally lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 50 years following the author’s death.
Vanessa DeDominicis practices in the areas of business law, real estate and wills and estates. As a Registered Trade-mark Agent with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trade-mark Office, her business law practice has a specific focus on intellectual property law, including filing Canadian and US trade-mark applications and advising clients on infringement issues. You can contact Vanessa on 250-869-1140 or [email protected]
