Copyright Registration | Hyra IP
Copyright Registration
- Initial Consultation
- Preliminary Steps
- Filing Your Copyright Application
- Communicating With the Copyright Office
Copyright registration is available for any work of authorship, including texts, audio recordings, works of visual art, and computer programs. Copyright protection is automatic and arises as soon as your work is created and fixed in a tangible form. Copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years.
Copyright registration is not required, but it is encouraged in order to create a public record of the basic facts of a particular copyright. Copyright registration conveys several advantages:
- Copyright registration allows an infringement suit to be filed in court.
- If the copyright is registered within three months of publication of the work, it gives you the right to recover attorney’s fees and statutory damages in a court action.
- If the copyright is registered within five years of publication of the work, it serves as prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the copyright certificate.
- Copyright registration allows the owner of the copyright to record the registration with the U. S. Customs Service to prevent importation of infringing copies.
For at least the above reasons, Hyra IP recommends registering the copyrights of important works of art within three months of their publication. Copyright registration is typically a swift and inexpensive process.
Initial Consultation
Hyra IP makes the copyright registration process fast and easy. As a first step, I offer an initial consultation at no charge to you. To schedule this consultation, please call me any time at 1-866-913-3499 or contact me through the website or by email. Business hours are 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. Availability at other times varies.
During this initial consultation, I can answer any questions that you have about the copyright registration process and we can discuss the work you are interested in registering a copyright for. If you decide to go ahead with the registration, I will send you an engagement letter and will officially be your attorney when you sign and return it. The fee for a standard copyright registration is $225 in addition to the $35 government filing fee.
Preliminary Steps
Once you have retained me as your attorney, I will send you my recommendations, some general information on the copyright registration process and a form to fill out pertaining to your copyright registration. Once you fill out and return the form along with a deposit of your work to keep on file with the Library of Congress, Hyra IP will prepare and file your application for copyright registration. Deposit requirements vary depending on the work of art and will be discussed during this stage.
Filing Your Copyright Application
Your application for copyright registration can be easily filed online without the need for submitting documents. Due to the focus on service and turnaround time at Hyra IP, this entire process can be completed in a single day if necessary.
Communicating with the Copyright Office
Copyright registrations are usually granted without any further communication with the Copyright Office. However, occasionally the Copyright Office will call to correct a problem with an application form or will send a notice that the subject matter for which copyright registration was sought is not eligible for copyright protection.
I have experience communicating with the Copyright Office and obtaining copyright protection for a variety of works and can handle any necessary communications. If required, the Copyright Office’s decision to deny registration can be appealed to the Examining Division and from there to the Copyright Office Board of Appeals. However, this is rarely, if ever, necessary.
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