Copyright is an important field in the world of intellectual property and embodies the exclusive right to perform in the work, or in a substantial part of it, various actions, such as copying, publishing, public performance, broadcasting and making the work available to the public.
Copyright protects only original works. An original work is a work that the creator created himself (and that was not copied from someone else). In addition, the law requires a minimum personal investment and creativity in the work. Original works are divided into five types: literary works (e.g. texts), works of art (e.g. paintings), dramatic works (e.g. films), musical works (e.g. melodies) and recording (e.g. on discs).
It is important to understand that unlike a patent, which is granted on a technological invention, copyright is not granted on an invention but on the actual expression of an idea. Sometimes, a particular development can benefit from the protection of a number of intellectual property rights, such as patent, copyright, design or trademark. For example, a particular computer software could theoretically enjoy both patent protection for the technology and copyright protection for creative elements such as the interface, with each right protecting another element of the development. For this reason, it is important to consult with a professional who specializes in the field, and who can provide analysis and advice regarding the possible ways of protecting intellectual property rights.
While patents have very good public relations, copyrights can sometimes be "forgotten", when in fact they entail not only great economic value for their owners, but also unique commercial benefits, such as a particularly long protection period of 70 years after the creator has passed away (unlike a patent which can enjoy a maximum protection period of 20, and in some cases 25, years from the registration date).
Our firm assists in the registration and protection of copyright, and provides legal advice at all stages of the creation, from the initial concept stage to advanced stages such as negotiating, drafting commercial distribution agreements, licensing and purchase agreements, etc. We assist many talented artists, authors, photographers, entrepreneurs, as well as industrial companies that possess valuable copyrights.
Due to the unbearable ease of copyright infringement nowadays, many industries are vulnerable to piracy, hence the obvious need to protect it. Receiving the right legal counsel, especially at early stages when strategic actions can be taken, is paramount.
When it comes to litigation, our highly experienced team specializes in managing complex copyright infringement cases for clients from a variety of fields and industries, such as the software industry, music, movies, books, designs, fashion, academia and more.
