5 Advantages Of Copyright Registration
By Urban Company
4 min read
Oct 24, 2017
When running a business, you have to be cautious and ensure every small interest of your organisation is protected. When you manufacture a product or float a design ...
When running a business, you have to be cautious and ensure every small interest of your organisation is protected. When you manufacture a product or float a design or even think of an idea for the betterment of your business, it is vital for you to copyright it. Without a proper copyright in place, anyone can use your ideas or replicate your designs. This can drive the profits away and also take the exclusivity out of your firm. So to prevent any such thing from happening, make sure you get a copyright registration done. There are many advantages of copyright registration, read on to know more.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is a legal right and more specifically a type of intellectual property protection. It protects your work once it has been made tangible, that is given a physical form, against plagiarism. For example, a story written on paper can be copyrighted but not a story idea.
How Does a Copyright Help You?
In simple words, a copyright ensures that no one else uses your work without your prior consent. And if someone uses it without your permission, you can take them to court.
Here is what you as a copyright owner can do:
• Reproduce the work
• Create more materials (derivative work) based on the original
• Distribute your work by way of sale, lease or even transfer of ownership
• Display the work (for example if it’s an art piece)
You can also transfer these above exclusive rights to someone else via a contract.
Advantages of copyright registration
Let us take a look at the top benefits that you get when you undergo a copyright registration:
1.
Legal evidence
: This is the biggest and most significant benefit of getting a copyright registration done. With a copyright in place, your work is legally denoted to be yours. This keeps it safe. And if anyone infringes or tries to replicate your design, idea or product, you can cite the registered copyright in a legal argument. This will automatically and swiftly tip the scales in your favour. Without a copyright, you may find it difficult to contest such an issue. However, with a copyright registered beforehand, such issues can be sorted easily.
1.
Public notice:
Next, we have another significant advantage of copyright registration. When you copyright your work, it is documented in your name. Not only does this protect your work, it also gives you the ownership and spreads your name more freely in the public domain. This gives you a face and credibility to your design or idea. It also prevents others from taking ownership and wrongfully claiming they invented or manufactured that particular body of work. No one can claim to have not known about your ownership and used the work as their own. This can go a long way in protecting your reputation in your field of work, which in turn can translate into monetary as well as honorary profits.
1.
Seeking damages:
Not only is plagiarism a threat to the economic health of your business, it is also a treat to your status and standing. So, if due to any unfortunate event you do end up in a copyright infringement tangle, you can seek damages from the perpetrators. However, this can only happen if the copyright is correctly registered in your name. Without that, you won’t have a base to build your case upon. So, take stock of any future mishap that may happen and register your copyright without any further delay.
1.
Early registration:
You may have a few years in your hand to register the copyright, but it makes sense for you to take advantage of an early registration. This is important because if you procrastinate, someone else may swoop in and register something similar in their name. And then you will have no right over your original design, idea or product, even though you are the rightful owner of it. It is very simple to carry out a copyright registration in your name. The process can be completed online in a short span of time. So, do not wait for an eventuality to strike, because then it may be too late to go back and restore the prospects of your organisation.
1.
Helps you stand out in the crowd:
At every step of life, there is tremendous competition. You may find yourself lost in a crowd of competitors when you start a business of your own. However, a copyright registration may come in handy at such a time. By copyrighting even a small item, you will make it inaccessible to your competitors. This will make you stand out in the crowd and give an instant push to your profits. Do not forget this very useful advantage of copyright registration when you start your own business.
In a nutshell
Getting your
copyright registeredis an absolutely essential thing to do. This small task of copyright registration opens up a whole lot of advantages to you. From keeping your ideas safe to bringing in more economic profits, you can indeed get a lot out of it. If you have still not gotten your copyrights registered, do so right away!