Copyright Law in Wichita, KS

The City of Wichita offers a step-by-step guide to starting a business in the area. Officials want entrepreneurs to have resources for each stage of growing their companies.

Business leaders often do not have the same support or expertise when they apply for intellectual property. As a result, they can experience severe frustrations trying to navigate the application process. Furthermore, chasing infringers can require a level of effort only an attorney can provide. Assess your needs today using the details and advice available in this article.

What Is Copyright Registration?

Copyright registration offers the author of a piece of work in Wichita, Kansas 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 Wichita, KS 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 Wichita, KS business people and brand owners often trademark:

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

Registering a trademark with the Kansas Secretary of State starts with a search through its database. Businesses from Wichita need to ensure their application does not conflict with another mark. Only once you have confidence in the novelty should you proceed with the registration process.

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

The U.S. Copyright Office dedicates itself to constantly improving its processing times. This goal is a remarkable undertaking. This fact is especially true since they received all-time high levels of applications in 2021. Despite the unparalleled challenges, three-quarters of their applications finish in roughly a month. Nonetheless, any level of correspondence with specialists about your work bumps the timeline to 3.6 months.

The USPTO reports it can take up to eight months before the initial review of an application from Wichita to conclude. At this point, your work with the examining attorney will determine the total amount of time. Processing wait times collected by government officials offer an 13.3 months estimate from start to finish.

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

The value of your Wichita, KS 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 Wichita, Kansas 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 Wichita, KS 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 Wichita, KS. 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 Wichita copyright attorneys  that can guide you through every step? We can even help you connect with an attorney across Kansas 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!

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