Copyright ©

The U.S. Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 101, et. seq., gives the owner the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display or license his or her work and/or derivatives thereof. The Copyright Act protects writings, audio visual works, such as motion pictures and sound recordings, graphic arts, such as architectural designs, sculpture, fine art, photographs, and technical drawings, and software. A derivative is a work based on a pre-existing work. In order to be protected under the Act, a work must be original and “fixed in [a] tangible medium of expression.”

Copyright registration is a prerequisite to infringement litigation and is required for the copyright owner to be entitled to certain elements of monetary relief.