Copyright Law in Fayetteville, NC

Do you have visions of your enterprise becoming a household name in Fayetteville?

Lensa reports the top three companies in the city by revenue are Wells Fargo, AT&T, and Walmart. Each of these businesses depend on trademarks and copyrights to protect their bottom line.

But, you don’t have to compete at their level to see the value of an intellectual property portfolio. You can build yours or learn how to protect it using the details we’ve gathered in this article.

What Is Copyright Registration?

Copyright registration offers the author of a piece of work in Fayetteville, North Carolina some protection from those who try to steal their idea.

A novel creation receives copyright protection when it becomes fixed into a tangible form. Copyright law dictates how to establish this ownership. Additionally, it explains how to register intellectual property or defend against infringement.

Copyright registration is a type of public record for ownership. A piece of work doesn’t require copyright registration for protection under the US copyright law. However, you should register your product in Fayetteville, NC with the help of a copyright lawyer, as this can offer you several unique advantages:

• Protects your work against the importation of copies that infringe the registration. Your registration will be recorded with the United States Customs and Border Protection.
• If your work is already registered in the United States, you can proceed with an infringement lawsuit; otherwise, you will have to register it first.
• The IP owner can seek damages and attorney fees if a copyright registration happens within three months of publication (or prior to an infringement claim).
• If a copyrighted work becomes registered outside of the three-month time frame, you may seek actual damages that you lost.
• Copyright registration will identify each public record of its existence. This action puts the copyright protection into public notice for the piece of work that you’ve created and/or own.

What Is a Trademark?

A trademark is a word, symbol, design, or phrase that distinguishes you from another company. Service marks are a type of trademark that a company will use when providing services to the public. Technically, trademarks are a form of intellectual property. It also forms part of the company’s brand, even if they no longer use it.

Here are some of the components that established Fayetteville, NC business people and brand owners often trademark:

• Logos
• Symbols
• Product packages
• Name of the business
• Name of the product or service
• Designs

The North Carolina Secretary of State recommends making sure that the trademark you want is available. You can search the desired keywords using the state’s database system. Arguably, it is even more critical to go through the federal government’s Trademark Electronic Search System.

How Long Does It Take to Register a Trademark and Copyright?

The first stage of the process with the USPTO is their review of your application. According to current estimates, this initial phase can be a four to six-month procedure. Altogether, the federal government expects a start to finish of over a year. In other circumstances, business owners in Fayetteville won’t see their registration for eighteen months or more.

For the most part, obtaining a copyright for your work won’t take as long. The primary reason for delays is any necessary correspondence with the registration specialist. Correspondence between an applicant and the U.S. Copyright Office is a frequent setback. While most applications process in 3.6 months, this timeline can extend to 13.1 months.

What’s the Difference Between a Trademark and a Copyright?

The value of your Fayetteville, NC business depends on the assets it owns. It’s important to note that the most valuable assets are not always physical or financial. Your intellectual property counts as assets too. Due to this, if people use those assets without your permission, you can file a lawsuit for infringement.

While trademarks and copyrights protect intellectual property, they cover two different aspects. Copyright registration protects artistic and literary works, such as videos and books. A trademark registration protects brand components. This can be a jingle, a logo, or a mascot of your organization.

Take, for example, if you own a magazine publishing company. You would trademark the logo and the name of your company. However, you would also place copyright protection on all the magazines that you have published.

Work With an Experienced Fayetteville, North Carolina Copyright Lawyer

Do you have an idea that needs protection under intellectual property law? If so, complete the registration process as soon as possible. There is always the risk that someone else might beat you to it. This eventuality can create complications when the time comes to defend IP rights claims.

An experienced Fayetteville, NC copyright lawyer can help you uncover if anyone else has registered a similar idea. If your concept closely resembles another, it might get rejected. Consequently, it is better to find this early than to go through the process only to get denied later. In addition, an intellectual property lawyer will help you to draft critical documents. Or, they can determine the value of the intellectual property that you own.

An intellectual property lawyer also assesses the quality of the assets. They will also look at the number of assets licensed under your name or your business in Fayetteville, NC. This evaluation can help to maximize the entire value of all intangible assets that your company has.

Are you ready to tap into our network of Fayetteville copyright attorneys  that can guide you through every step? We can even help you connect with an attorney across North Carolina state lines. 

Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!