Today is

By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Art and Copyright

For starters, just because you have paid the artists to make you a unique design does not mean that you actually own the design - you haven't (yet) purchased the rights to the design - you've only paid for work performed; kind of like a license.

What you want is to own the copyright to the design, so ensure that you have also including this language in your contract with the artist - and yes, get a contract, particularly in this area. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, and you can do this yourself, but just ensure that the language states that you also own the copyright to the design created.

Copyright registration

You've probably heard that registering your copyright costs you $30. Yes, that's true, there is a $30 dollar fee if you choose to formally register your song, short story, photograph, painting, or whatever. You fill out Form TX for the written word, or form VA for graphic creations, such as photographs. Send in two copies of the 'work', plus your $30 dollars, to the Register of Copyright, Library of Congress, and your work will be entered into the archives and you will be in a better position to collect compensation in case of copyright infringement.

Software copyright

The term software piracy is used in reference to the copying and selling for profit of copyrighted software without permission of the copyright holder. Distribution of pirated software is also in violation of copyright law in the U.S., even if no profit is made, with the exception of copies made for educational purposes and other circumstances that fall under U.S. fair use laws. Under current U.S. law, fair use allows for the reproduction of a particular work for purposes such as "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research."

CONCLUSION

Developing and bringing your product or service to market takes time, effort, and money. Without taking care to copyright or trademark, another entity could imitate your offerings and seriously impact your advantage in the market. If you do not take the necessary steps to protect your business, proving copyright or trademark infringement in court could be a challenge.