Tacoma Intellectual Property Lawyer

Intellectual Property Lawyer Tacoma, WA

In the digital age, as an intellectual property lawyer Tacoma, WA residents trust from Sierra IP Law, PC has seen before, the internet has complicated people's understanding of intellectual property rules. While many of the regulations surrounding copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property remain the same, many myths need to be debunked. Here are two of the most common myths regarding the public domain and the internet.

Work Without a Copyright Is Public Domain

Many people believe that if the person does not sign the work or does not register the work with the Library of Congress, there is no copyright. The truth is that there is no public domain. The public domain refers to works with lapsed copyrights or works that the author chose not to assert copyright on it. If you are an artist, you have the right to your work as soon as you create something. If you sign the work or register it, this will help you enforce your rights, but it does not mean that you do not have rights if you do none of these things.

Small Percentages Can Be Used Without Permission

There is a common misconception that if you only use a small amount of a published work, you will not commit copyright infringement. As a Tacoma intellectual property lawyer knows, this is not necessarily the case. Copyright depends on how expressive a work is. For example, if you were to copy the instructions on a bottle of soap, you probably wouldn't be in trouble for copyright infringement. After all, most soap bottles have the same instructions and it's hard to include variation in the steps. This means that using 80% of the instructions is not copyright infringement.

However, if you only use one line out of a poem someone else wrote, this can be copyright infringement. In this case, no matter how short it is, it is also expressive. If you take a few words, you could take the most expressive aspect of the work. So, in this case, even 2% of the work could be looked at as copyright infringement. If you are a creator, you should speak with our Tacoma lawyer intellectual property about your work rights. This is particularly important if you plan to post your work on the internet.

If you're aware of someone using your work for personal or financial gain, you may have a case against him or her. Likewise, if you want to use someone's work, it is best to talk with a lawyer before assuming that you can. For clarity and guidance on all things intellectual property, consider setting up your consultation with a member of our team at Sierra IP Law, PC today!

Intellectual Property Lawyer Tacoma, WA

People can own copyright to various goods and services, and when they feel it is infringed upon, it may be beneficial to contact an intellectual property lawyer Tacoma, WA residents trust to provide an exceptional level of service. At Sierra IP Law, PC  we specialize in helping those who are facing intellectual property disputes. Now, while there are many examples of owned property, video games and copyright, these are good examples. Those who make a franchise own the material and right to that property. For example; when it comes to intellectual property, a company such as Capcom, owns the rights to Mega Man and could shut down a fan game based on the existing property, at any time. Moreover, the same goes for Nintendo as well, because using property without permission is a breach of fair use.

Intellectual Property Dispute Examples

For example; there have been many times where fan games have been shut down, due to intellectual property issues that have come forth, and the company issuing a cease and desist letter.  For example; in 2016, Nintendo ended up shutting down a Metroid fan game that had been in development for years. However, Nintendo has also shut down other projects based on their intellectual property, such as Mario, Pokemon, and more. These are examples of  situations, where intellectual property is trying to be protected by the company, and in this case, Nintendo. Moreover, assistance from an intellectual property lawyer in Tacoma, WA would be a must, if an agreement to comply was not reached.

Legal Support for Copyright Infringement

For example; if the creators of said fan games, such as the Metroid one, Pokemon, Mario, and more,  decided to ignore the cease and desist letters, legal action would be taken against them, because they are ignoring the breach of copyright infringement.  Moreover, gaming companies aside, movie owners have also been known to sue to fair use aspects, as well as those who make music videos, those who own the copyright to movies, and more.

Intellectual Property Lawyer Tacoma, WA

An example of this was when the wife of Dr. Suess was so disappointed with The Cat in the Hat 2003 movie, that she put a block on the intellectual property of Dr Suess having any more live action sequels in the future. This is an example.  If someone feels like intellectual property aspects they own are being infringed upon, contacting an intellectual property lawyer in Tacoma, WA, is one of the best ways to begin exploration of legal options. What an intellectual property lawyer would focus on, is assessing the case in depth, through a case by case basis, since not everything is black and white.

Legal Guidance is Available

In other words, because not every case is the same, each one needs to be handled and assessed, in an efficient and effective manner. For example; a case that focuses on a video game property aspect, would revolve around questions, pertaining to aspects that break the intellectual property law and whether the cease and desist letter then came about, was ignored. More importantly, a legal business should have different types of cases that are worked on,  so that a study client base can be established. For example; Sierra IP Law, PC, has core focuses on digital privacy laws, privacy acts, intellectual use, and more. This kind of work aids in creating a strong variety of clients.