Original and innovative ideas are not easy to come by, especially in the business world. You and others at your company have undoubtedly put in long hours and hard work to come up with creative work that helps your business stand out above the competition. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for outside parties to copy that work these days.
Because you understand the importance of protecting your company’s original work, you undoubtedly have registered copyright verifications in place and other measures to protect your intellectual property. However, that does not mean that others will not infringe upon that copyrighted work.
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is a problem throughout the business world. Too many people and other companies think that they can get away with using someone else’s material as their own. Some ways that this infringement could occur include the following:
- Reproducing the work
- Making something based on the existing work
- Performing the work
- Publicly displaying the work
- Distributing the work
In these cases, the actions must have occurred without the permission of the copyright holder in order for them to constitute infringement.
Contributors to infringement
As mentioned, it is immensely easy these days for others to copy someone’s original work. Some factors that contribute to this ease of infringement include:
- Digital versions of original work stored or shared online
- The internet, which makes it easier to locate, copy and distribute someone else’s work
- International law differences
- Advancements in technology that make it easier to pirate digital work, like video, audio and photograph files, through downloads
With so much availability and accessibility of original work online, it may seem impossible to protect copyrighted work. However, if someone does infringe on copyrighted material, you could take action to protect your company and its ideas.
Taking legal action
Feeling protective over your work and your company as a whole is understandable. If you believe that an outside party has infringed on your intellectual property, you may want to fully explore your legal options. Filing a copyright infringement claim could allow you to seek recompense for any damages caused by the infringement, including loss of revenue and other issues. Discussing your concerns with an experienced Massachusetts attorney could better ensure that you know how to protect your rights and property and the overall success and reliability of your company.
