Basics of Copyright Law
By: craig23 | Posted: 16th August 2010
Copyright means the right to copy. Copyright law protects intellectual property. It ensures that no one other than the creator himself can copy a unique work he has created. The original work of an author is safeguarded by copyright law. These works may include dramatic creation, musical piece, architecture, computer software, paintings, movies as well as literary works like novel, short story, poetry, essay and so on. However copyright law doesn't protect original ideas, facts, systems or a unique method of operation. But the way these things are expressed can be protected through copyright law.
Difference between Patent, Trademark and Copyright
Intellectual property can be protected in three different ways. There are differences between patent, trademark and copyright.
o Inventions and further works to improve those inventions are protected through patents
o Trademarks safeguard designs applicable to specific products or brand names of companies or organization
o Copyright protects artistic, literary and musical works
If you wish to know about these differences in detail you can consult a copyright lawyer.
Copyright Examples
To make this idea more clear lets have a look at some of the examples of copyright
o Video games are protected with copyright
o Gone With The Wind - both the literary work and the film are copyrighted
o Backstreet Boys - their compositions are copyrighted
Copyright Protection
Your original work is under copyright protection from the very moment you create it and fix it in a tangible form so that people can perceive it directly or with the help of a device or machine. As soon as you right a novel or compose a song or choreograph a piece it is copyright protected. Copyright protection is entitled to an original work for a certain period of time and within that time period no one other than the creator of the work can earn profit from the work unless the creator himself gives permission.
Copyright law may be different depending on the country and state you live in. New York copyright law will not be the same as Gambia copyright law.
Copyright Registration
Yes, it is true that the moment a work is created it is copyright protected but going for copyright registration can offer some added advantages. Copyright registration means that you have proof that you are the owner or creator of a piece of work. Copyright registration can be considered as a legal formality. Gambia copyright law advocates copyright registration. You can seek help from a copyright lawyer before you register the copyright for your work. But it is not necessary to do copyright registration. If you go for it you can get some extra benefits.
Advantages of Copyright Registration
Copyright registration in Gambia offers the following advantages.
o Copyright registration ensures a public record of your copyright claim.
o Copyright registration offers added protection if an infringement suit is filed in the court.
o If you do the registration within three months from the date of publication or before an infringement of your work, you can get attorney fees and statutory damages compensation in court actions.
Copyright registration in Gambia involves a lot of paper work and legal intricacies. It is better to depend on a Gambia copyright lawyer to handle all the complications to ensure a smooth registration process without any mistake.
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