by Traverse Legal, reviewed by Enrico Schaefer - May 18, 2007 - Uncategorized
Companies that market products to consumers create copyrightable works very frequently. In fact, any "original work of authorship" that is "fixed in a tangible medium" has an ability to be copyrighted.
As you can assume, these kind of works come up very frequently when a company is conducting advertisements. To ensure that these works enjoy the same protection of your trademarks, you should include a copyright notice at the bottom; e.g., "(c) 2007, YourCompany, inc. This however, will have to be filed with the U.S. Copyright Office before sue over any copyright violation.
While a notice is not required to uphold your copyrights, this does serve to make others aware of the nature of the work, and it makes it easier to prove that the third party violation was done intently if you decide to sue.
As a founding partner of Traverse Legal, PLC, he has more than thirty years of experience as an attorney for both established companies and emerging start-ups. His extensive experience includes navigating technology law matters and complex litigation throughout the United States.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Enrico Schaefer, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a practicing Business, IP, and Technology Law litigation attorney.
