Intellectual Property FAQ

10 Reasons You Should Claim and Register Your Copyright

10 Reasons You Should Claim and Register Your Copyright

1. A copyright gives you the exclusive right to reproduce or copy the work or change its form. Examples include creating a sequel and revising or updating the work.
   
   
2. Only you can perform the work or display it in public; everyone else needs to receive permission to use it from you first.
   
   
3. You are the only person who is allowed to distribute the work for commercial purposes.
   
   
4. You can sell your right to control over the copyrighted work, so when you write your next big thriller you can sell the movie rights and keep the right to create a sequel.
   
   
5. Registration informs the world that you own the work and have all the rights of ownership.
   
   
6. Registration gives the owner certain rights such as the right to sue in federal court and certain remedies.
   
   
7. Your work will be in the Library of Congress.
   
   
8. Registration makes it possible for you to sue for copyright infringement.
   
   
9. A copyright must be registered within 3 months of publication to entitle the registrant an award of statutory damages or attorney's fees in an infringement suit.
   
   
10. If you succeed, the infringer may have to pay your lawyer's fees.
    
    

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