Say goodbye to copyright infringement

According to the US Copyright Office, copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner.

Copyrights protect the original works of a creator such as written texts, music, images, videos, software codes, and others. If you are a creator, your work is automatically protected by copyright law when you publish it in any form of tangible medium. This protection grants you the exclusive rights to publish, sell, modify and reproduce your unique work.

Red Points’ copyright protection software helps you to shield your creative works from infringers that try to profit from your innovations. The software covers a broad range of mediums including movies, digital works like software and videogames, prints, streaming, and educational products. Copyright violations are detected and enforced rapidly with bot-powered search and a self-improving system through machine learning. The system takes down and reports abuses automatically and around the clock.

You can detect copyright infringements manually or hire an attorney for legal advice. However, those single-case approaches have disadvantages when dealing with multiple or repeated infringements. Instead, you can work with a pure-play brand protection company like Red Points that safeguards your intellectual property at scale.

Although all pertain to intellectual property protection, a copyright, a patent, and a trademark protect different types of intellectual property. In sum:

• A copyright protects the rights of authors over their original literary, artistic, or scientific works, as earlier mentioned.
• A patent protects inventions, processes, or products that offer a technical solution to a particular problem.

A trademark protects a brand’s name, logo, symbol, or design that distinguishes it from other brands or businesses.

A copyright owner has the exclusive right to:

• Reproduce the copyrighted work.
• Distribute copies of the copyrighted work, either by sale, lease, or lending.
• Display the copyrighted work, if it is a literary, musical, or artistic creation.
• Perform the copyrighted work, if it is a literary, musical, or audiovisual creation.
• Prepare a derivative work–that is, a work that is based upon pre-existing copyrighted materials.
• File an infringement action against unauthorized users, producers, and/or distributors (i.e. pirates) of the copyrighted work.

Generally, the duration of a copyright is the life of the author plus 70 years after his death. If the copyrighted material is created by more than one author, the copyright lasts for 70 years after the last surviving author’s death. For works with anonymous or pseudonymous authors, the duration of the copyright is 95 years from the material’s publication or 120 years from its creation, whichever is shorter.

Copyright infringement is a very serious issue and the good news is that you can report it when necessary. It’s helpful to know how to recognize potential copyright infringements, as well as the steps required to properly report them, so you have the tools needed to protect your work or intellectual property. 

If you see content appear online that may be an infringement of your copyright, take action! First, record detailed information about the alleged infringement and gather evidence such as screenshots or web page URLs with timestamps. 

Then, depending on the situation and which laws apply, process your complaint with either a takedown notice or a copyright counter-notice. 

Finally, if you need support regarding your options to report copyright infringement, Red Points’ Copyright Infringement Protection solution can help automate the detection and takedown of copyright infringement to save you time and money.

If you believe your content has been used unlawfully, reach out for legal advice if needed so that you can formulate a well-informed strategy on how to respond.

You might also want to consider contacting the claimant directly for a civil negotiation; this could be helpful in mitigating potential damages or costs associated with the infringement.

Most importantly, always ensure your content is properly licensed or indicated as being free from any copyright restrictions when uploading online.

Filing a case for copyright infringement depends on where and to whom the infringement has been committed. Generally speaking, if you are the owner of a copyright and someone is using your work without permission, you can file a claim in federal court. 

Depending on where the infringer is located, further steps may need to be taken to ensure that all details of how they used your work illegally are brought to legal attention. 

Before filing an infringement lawsuit, consider hiring an attorney who can help you draft the complaint and represent you during litigation. Taking these steps will help secure any potential damages or profits resulting from the illegal use of your copyrighted works.