Registration of Copyright

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Registration of Copyright

When Congress last updated copyright laws Congress included a provision that automatically granted copyright to works when created. A lot of people have wrongly assumed this change gives them all sots of powers and control over what they have created. There are conditions and exclusions.

The use of a copyright notice is no longer required under U.S. law, although it is often beneficial. Registration affords a higher level of protection.

The US Copyright Office says:

"If registration is made within 3 months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney's fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner."

Also, the mere fact someone "creates" a web page, for example, does not mean the content is protected. Copyrights protect “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, not just routine comments, listings, contents, etc. Remember the word "creative" applies. Telling someone how to get to the corner market lacks any creativity.

The Copyright Act. 17 U.S.C. § 411 requires that ''no action for copyright infringement my be brought until the work that is the subject of such action has first been registered in the Copyright Office, or at least an attempt to register has been made and refused by the Copyright Office.'' 3 Nimmer §12.08, at 12-132.21.

To establish copyright infringement, Defendant must show two elements: (1) that it owns a valid copyright; and (2) that the defendant copied original elements of the work. Whelan Assocs., Inc. v. Jaslow Dental Lab., Inc., 797 F.2d 1222, 1231 (3d Cir. 1986). A cause of action for infringement cannot be enforced until the creator of a work actually registers the copyright in accordance with the requirements of the Copyright Act. 17 U.S.C. § 411(a)(2004).

This means while someone can interfere with an eBay auction without a federal registration, before they can sue or otherwise plead copyright infringement in a federal court action they must actually have a registered copyright or have had one refuesed. Why anyone would sue for copyright infringement if their apllication was denied is beyond us. A number of courts have dismissed copyright infringement suits because the plaintiff did not have a valid copyright registration when the suit was filed.

Here are some short outlimes of court cases about Registraion:

Morris v. Business Concepts, Inc., 259 F.3d 65 (2d Cir. 2001)
Morris v. Business Concepts, Inc. #2, 283 F.3d 502 (2d Cir. 2001)

Source: http://pub.bna.com/ctlr/4027.htm

Section 411 of the Copyright Act states in part:

[N]o action infringement of the copyright in any United States work shall be instituted until registration of the copyright claim has been made in accordance with this title. In any case, however, where the deposit, application, and fee required for registration have been delivered to the Copyright Office in proper form and registration has been refused, the applicant is entitled to institute an action for infringement if notice thereof, with a copy of the complaint, is served on the Register of Copyrights.

17 U.S.C.A. §411(a) (Cum. Supp. 2002). Case law interpreting section 411 has made it clear that copyright registration is a jurisdictional prerequisite. Olan Mills, Inc, v. Linn Photo Co., 23 F.3d 1345, 1349 (8th Cir. 1994) (section 411 of Copyright Act requires registration in order to bring suit for infringement).
See also Murray Hill Publications, Inc. v. ABC Communications, Inc., 264 F.3d 622, 630 & n. 1 (6th Cir. 2001) (registration requirements under section 411 are jurisdictional prerequisites to right of holder to enforce copyright in federal court);
Morris v. Business Concepts, Inc., 259 F.3d 65, 68 (2nd Cir. 2001) (proper registration is prerequisite to action for copyright infringement); Brewer-Giorgio v. Producers Video, Inc., 216 F.3d 1281, 1285 (11th Cir. 2000) (registration requirement under section 411 is jurisdictional prerequisite to infringement suit);
Dodd v. Fort Smith Special Sch. Dist. No. 100, 666 F.Supp. 1278, 1282 (W.D. Ark. 1987) (no subject-matter jurisdiction under Copyright Act when copyright owners did not register copyright prior to initiating infringement suit in federal court);
Prouix v. Hennepin Tech. Ctrs. Dist. No. 287, No. 4-79-637, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17634 (D. Minn. Dec. 7, 1981) (section 411 requirements are jurisdictional; federal court cannot hear copyright infringement claim unless such prerequisites met).
Further, the copyright actions to which the section 411 jurisdictional registration requirements apply "extend to all copyright infringement actions, including counterclaims, even if the only relief sought is an injunction.''1 2 Melville B. Nimmer & David Nimmer, Nimmer on Copyright §7.16[B][1][a], at 7-156.1 to 7-157s (2002).