Jeffrey Armistead LLC counsels and represents clients in a variety of copyright matters, including registration, permissions and fair use, infringement and contracts. Regardless of how the Internet, consumer technologies and cultural standards challenge rights and uses of copyright, the fundamentals remain the same: a copyright protects original (the originality requirement is minimal, “only a dash of it will do”) works of expression that are tangibly fixed in some medium (this usually means something written down, recorded or filmed). Writing, music, choreography, dramas, illustration, photographs, sculpture, sound recordings, film, and architectural works are some of the creative expressions protected by copyright laws. This protection includes the right to prevent others from making or distributing copies, creating new versions (called derivative works), and publicly performing or displaying original works.
Jeffrey Armistead LLC can help you with the protection and use of copyrights in the following ways:
Contracts: Jeff can provide clarity and protection for licensing the right of others to use your creative works, collaborating on projects, and freelancing or hiring a freelancer. Having well-drafted contracts helps to avoid misunderstandings and also provides a roadmap for continued success in managing your creative portfolio or ongoing network of working relationships. The law office can draft or review licenses, non-disclosure agreements, work-for-hire and assignment agreements, non-compete agreements, and collaboration or partnership agreements.
Registration: an original creative work is afforded a copyright once it is fixed in tangible form. However, registering your work with the Copyright Office gives the copyright owner certain advantages. Jeff can counsel you on registering your copyrights or register them for you.
Using creative works: with many forms of creative works, it is often inevitable that the creative professional will have to navigate the use of existing creative expressions. Jeff can help you with determining whether an existing work is in the public domain, a de minimus use or a fair use. The law office can also negotiate permissions and licenses of other works.
Infringement & Disputes: in the event that your creative work has been copied without your permission, you have been threatened with an infringement lawsuit or a cease and desist letter, or there is a dispute about copyright ownership, the law office offers strategic counseling for resolving the dispute.
For more information on copyright law, please visit Jeff’s blog, Known in the Marts.