It’s hard to keep track of all the little things that a business owner has to consider. It’s easy to
forget about the rights you have when it comes to your business ideas and products.
Here are some things you should know about copyright protection:
- You can’t use someone else’s copyrighted material without their permission. If you’re creating
something yourself (like writing an article or drawing a picture), you own the copyright on it
automatically — unless you sign away your rights under a contract or license agreement, which
is another thing you should be aware of. - You don’t need to register with the U.S. Copyright Office in order to have copyright
protection — but it’s still advisable if you want legal recourse if someone steals your work and
profits from it without your permission (and registration does come with some benefits). If
someone takes what you’ve created without your permission and publishes it, registered works
are easier to sue over than unregistered ones because they have official numbers assigned by
the U.S. Copyright Office that identify them as unique copyrighted works in their system
(unregistered works don’t have such numbers). - You can transfer or license some or all of your copyrights (for example, through an
assignment or a transfer of rights) to someone else. - You can enter an agreement with another person or entity (like a publisher) to share in profits
from your creation. - You can terminate any rights that you’ve granted to someone else (for example, if a publisher
hasn’t paid you for your book royalties in a long time). - You can sue to enforce the rights granted to you under copyright law, if another person or
entity violates those rights (for example, by using your work without permission or payment). - You can ask for damages if someone else violates your rights under copyright law.
- You can sue to stop someone from infringing your rights under copyright law (for example,
by publishing a book without your permission).
