Copyright

Our copyright attorneys are well-equipped to handle the full range of copyright issues that our clients face. We provide counseling on strategies to best protect copyrighted works. We handle copyright registrations, assignments, transactions, and litigation. We closely monitor the ways that U.S. and foreign copyright laws change in response to advancements in technology.

We work with a variety of clients ranging from individuals and start-up companies to large, multinational corporations. We have experience assisting clients on copyright matters in a variety of industries, including fine art, software/IT, musical works and compositions, media, fashion, gaming, architecture, publishing (including traditional and digital media), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and consumer products.

When called upon to enforce our clients’ copyrights, or defend them from claims of copyright infringement, our copyright attorneys are well-geared to meet those challenges to accomplish our clients’ business objectives.

Copyright Counseling: Our attorneys routinely counsel clients regarding copyright ownership, including the procurement of copyrights from employees and contractors, and the use of copyrighted works, including application of copyright notices. We regularly guide our clients on the dos and don’ts for using works of authorship of third parties, including with regard to appropriate licensing, fair use, parody, and other areas of copyright law.

Protection through Registration: We advise our clients on what creative works rise to the level of copyright protection, and counsel on the benefits of copyright registration where appropriate. While copyright registration can be relatively inexpensive, we are strategic in guiding our clients as they seek registrations for their works of authorship, leveraging our clients’ resources in a cost-effective manner.

Litigation and Enforcement: When called upon, our copyright attorneys are well-versed in asserting claims of copyright infringement and have experience in dealing with counterfeiting and other direct copying of our clients’ valuable works of authorship.  In response to an assertion of copyright infringement against our clients, our attorneys are equipped to effectively defend and work toward a resolution.

Transactions: Whether it is the procurement of copyright ownership from employees and contractors through work made for hire agreements, licensing the copyrighted works of others, or purchasing the copyrights of third parties, our attorneys have years of experience in the needed due diligence and negotiation to facilitate the transfer or acquisition of necessary rights to use and commercially exploit works of authorship.

Snell & Wilmer leverages the capabilities of our attorneys across our intellectual property group and the firm to provide clients with efficient staffing and competitive pricing. The needs of our clients guide our strategies and approach to managing your copyright matters, and we strive to foster long-term client relationships built on trust and value.

As a result, Snell & Wilmer’s copyright attorneys have been recognized in national legal rankings such as Super Lawyers®, The Best Lawyers in America®, and Managing Intellectual Property. Our lawyers participate in a variety of professional organizations including various sections of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), American Bar Association (ABA) and others, and teach at the university level as well.