Miami Copyright Litigation Attorney
Copyright laws protect the works of businesses and individuals from being taken without permission and profited from by other parties. Here at Pike & Lustig, LLP, we work to protect our clients’ copyright works through litigation and other means. If you have suffered financial harm, we will hold the other party accountable. Our Miami copyright litigation attorneys employ goal-oriented strategies that fit each particular client’s budgetary requirements in both state and federal court.
The Copyright Act of 1976
According to 17 U.S. Code § 102, the Copyright Act of 1976 makes it illegal for another party to use, without permission, any work of authorship protected by copyright. Protection is given to original works of authorship that can, or later will be able to, be “perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.” These works of authorship include:
- Literary works;
- Musical works, including any accompanying words;
- Dramatic works, including any accompanying music;
- Pantomimes and choreographic works;
- Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works;
- Motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
- Sound recordings; and
- Architectural works.
An author of a work is the person who created it, unless they gave permission or sold the rights to another entity or individual. However, copyright protection is not given to original authorships of mere ideas, let alone procedures, systems, processes, concepts, principles, methods of operation, discoveries, or principles.
The Purpose of Copyright Protection is to Give Creators Financial Credit for their Works, and to Encourage New Works to Continue Being Made
Copyright protection is a necessity in a capitalistic society because without these laws, there would be very little motive for original creations to be thought up and put down on paper, made into a film, or recorded on an album. Everyone would simply copy an already existing work, and with time the world would run dry on new ideas because creators would not be able to profit from their original songs, movies, and books. However, simply because copyright laws exist does not mean that creations are stolen every day by copyright infringement. With peer to peer networking, for example, individuals are able to quickly and easily take dozens or even thousands of protected works with a few clicks of a computer mouse. Trillions of dollars have been lost over the decades since peer to peer sharing started in the early 2000s. Businesses take others’ protected copyright works every day as well, and millions of dollars can be taken in the process. However, do not worry if your works have been stolen. Under 17 U.S. Code § 504, the owner of an authorship can seek as much as $150,000 in damages per case of infringement (per single work).
Contact a Knowledgeable Miami Copyright Litigation Attorney Today
If your works have been infringed upon, you need an attorney to represent you both in and out of court. The Miami law offices of Pike & Lustig, LLP are uniquely capable of handling complex cases. Firm partner Daniel Lustig obtained a postgraduate L.L.M. (Master of Laws) degree in Intellectual Property law, which offers a much greater insight to copyright infringement cases than a J.D. (Juris Doctor), which is what most attorneys have. We encourage you to reach out to one of our attorneys today to learn more about our trusted copyright litigation practice and what we can do for you.
