Copyright Registration
Executive Summary
We help clients secure copyright protection through strategic registration with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Copyright registration unlocks important rights and remedies. Our practice handles registration strategy and prosecution before the Copyright Office for all types of creative and functional works.
Registration Benefits
While copyright exists automatically upon creation, registration provides significant benefits: the ability to sue for infringement, eligibility for statutory damages and attorneys' fees if registered before infringement, and prima facie evidence of validity.
Registration Strategy
We develop registration strategies prioritizing important works and achieving cost-effective portfolio protection. We advise on timing to maximize statutory damages eligibility.
Copyright Office Prosecution
We prepare and file registration applications, respond to examiner inquiries, and overcome refusals. We understand Copyright Office practices and requirements.
Special Situations
We handle complex registrations including group registrations, works with multiple authors, works for hire, derivative works, and compilations.
Comments (12)
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Excellent analysis of the USPTO's position. The "significant contribution" standard seems workable, but I wonder how it will be applied in practice when the AI system makes unexpected connections that the human operator didn't anticipate.
Great question, James. The "unexpected connections" scenario is indeed one of the more challenging aspects. Based on the guidance, the key factor would be whether the human inventor recognized and appreciated the significance of that unexpected output. Documentation of the evaluation process becomes crucial here.
This is very helpful for our R&D team. We've been struggling with how to document AI-assisted invention processes. The checklist of documentation best practices is exactly what we needed. Would you have any template forms or checklists available?
Interesting comparison with international jurisdictions. South Africa's approach is quite different—I wonder if that will influence any changes in other countries' approaches over time.