Ten Reasons Why You Should Claim and Register Your Copyright
Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed May 22, 2024
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from affiliate partner links on FindLaw. Commissions do not affect the editorial integrity of our legal content.
This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw’s team of legal writers and attorneys and in accordance with our editorial standards.
The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area.
- A copyright gives you the exclusive right to reproduce or copy the work or change its form, like creating a sequel and revising or updating the work.
- Only you can perform the work or display it in public; everyone else has to ask you first.
- You're the only person who can distribute the work for commercial purposes.
- You can sell your right to control over the copyrighted work, so when you write your next big thriller you can sell the movie rights and keep the right to create a sequel.
- Registration informs the world that you own the work and all the rights of ownership.
- Registration protects your rights in the twenty foreign countries that still condition legal protection on public notice that the rights have been claimed.
- Your work will be in the Library of Congress!
- You can't sue for copyright infringement or get an order from a judge to make somebody stop using your work unless your work is registered either within the three months after your work is first published, or before the infringement first occurs.
- If you succeed in an infringement suit, you are entitled to money damages even if you can't prove how much money you actually lost because of the infringement.
- If you succeed, the infringer will have to pay your lawyer.
Next Steps
Contact a qualified business attorney to help you identify how to best protect your business' intellectual property.
Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life
Learn more about FindLaw’s newsletters, including our terms of use and privacy policy.
FindLaw will earn a commission if you purchase business formation products through these affiliate links.
Meet FindLaw's trusted partner LegalZoom, an industry leader in online business formations
Kickstart your LLC in minutes!
Join the millions who launched their businesses with LegalZoom.
LLC plans start at $0 + state fees.
Prefer to work with a lawyer?