The fundamentals of Copyrights – Registration and Duration

Although many types of “creative” and “original” Works are deemed to have copyright protection from the instant that the Work is created and “fixed in any tangible place”, in order for the owner for this copyright to receive greater rights and increase their her ability to protect those rights the Work should be registered.

The United States Copyright Office is a division of the United States Department of Commerce. Registering with this office will greatly enhance the copyright owner’s ability to seek various types of damages if the copyright is infringed upon by an outside party. One should seek legal advice before getting registering a copyrighted Work, as it should be determined whether the Work is copyrightable, i.e. the type of Work for which a registration can be purchased. Simply applying to register a copyright does not necessarily mean the work in real question is copyrightable.

The duration of copyrights varies from what type perform is in question as well as when it was made or registered. A work that was created on or after January 1, 1978 is protected for the time it is created, usually for that author’s life plus 70 years after the author’s death. For “a joint work prepared by two or more authors who don’t work for hire,” the term stands for 70 years since the death of last surviving author.

The copyright term for works created and published or registered before January 1, 1978 will be the same as for all those created on or after January 1, 1978, namely, life of the author plus 70 years. The 95/120-year terms for works for hire apply to pre January 1, 1978 to these works also. However, the actual word of copyright of these works cannot expire before December 31, 2002. For works published on or before December 31, 2002, the term will not expire before December 31, 2047.

A “work produced for hire” is one prepared by a staff within the scope of his or her employment as well as a work specially ordered or commissioned particular types of use use such to be a contribution to a collective work, a necessary part of a flick or other audiovisual work, a translation, a supplementary work, a compilation or even an instructional text should the parties agree written instrument that activity will be considered a work since then hire.

The copyright term for works specifically for hire and anonymous and pseudonymous works (unless the author’s identity is revealed in online copyright Registration Process in India Office records) is either 95 years at a date of publication or 120 years from the date of creation, whichever is shorter.

As with all areas of Copyright and Intellectual Property Law, it is far better consult with an attorney at law that specializes of this type. A number of law schools offer what is in order to as a Masters of Intellectual Property degree and the advice of an attorney with this level of scholarship can be essential from now a work created from all the way through the enforcement or recovery of any infringement.

This article designed for informational purposes only. It can not be construed as legal advice and readers are encouraged to consult a qualified attorney regarding these things.