In this age of instant communication, more and more ideas are born and products are created than ever before. With today’s business trend, new business owners are creating never-before-seen content and services to improve the world. With so much going on, it can be easy to create something that copies someone else too closely. Fortunately, there are several steps that can be taken to overcome copyright issues.
1. Get permission from the original owner.
When it comes to using copyrighted content, the only legal way to make use of the content is to contact the original owner and ask for permission. In the event that this is impossible, there are websites such as Creative Commons that offer royalty-free images and audio files that are free for commercial use.
2. Trademark and copyright your own content.
If you create something that you intend to turn into a business or income stream, it is important to obtain the legal rights to it. While it may be your intellectual property, you can’t stop someone from coming up with a similar idea and starting a business based on it. It is important to register and copyright your ideas to protect them.
3. Obtain legal copyrights.
Intellectual property can be copyrighted simply by placing the copyright symbol in front of it with your name. However, Copyright Law covers certain subjects where it is not so easy to claim ownership, including architectural and choreographic works. Talking to a copyright attorney is the way to go to properly claim ownership of your own work and prevent illegal copying of your work.
4. Check your property.
A trademark differs from a copyright mainly in the things it protects. While copyright is generally used to cover creative work, trademarks are used to protect names, logos, symbols, and other corporate IP. The process of registering a property is long and complicated, so it is better to consult professional help. You should first search to make sure there are no trademarks similar to the one you want to file; even if an existing trademark is not identical, one that is too similar may make it impossible for you to file.
5. Remember: registration is not required.
Since 1978, there has not been a formal requirement in the United States for copyrighted work to bear the copyright symbol. A novel, for example, is protected as soon as it is ‘saved’ in a Word document. That said, the registration of the work offers certain protections that intellectual property rights do not offer. A person can only sue for copyright issues if his or her copyright is registered. The restitution that a person can receive for damages will only count after the content is registered, not before.
While it may be an extra step, taking the time to copyright and trademark your property, whether intellectual or physical, can protect it in ways you can’t claim ownership of. Copyright issues can pose a number of issues for content creators or those who want to use content, but knowing how to overcome these issues before they arise can prevent a lot of headaches.