Trademarks And Copyrights
When you work in the field of arts and entertainment, you understand the importance of protecting your rights to your work, as well as your rights to financially benefit from your original work. At my firm, Patricia M. Davis, Attorney at Law, I have been working in the field of intellectual property rights for more than 35 years, and as a Houston entertainment lawyer and solo practitioner, I have personally handled all the legal aspects associated with copyrights and trademarks. Under intellectual property law, owners and creators have certain exclusive rights to various works such as musical, artistic, literary works, inventions and discoveries.
Intellectual property rights include:
- Copyrights
- Trademarks
- Patents
- Industrial design rights
As a Houston entertainment attorney, I regularly deal with individuals working in all aspects of the entertainment industry. Whether you’re a screenwriter, an author, behind the camera or in front of it, I understand the importance of protecting your rights to your original work.
Understanding Copyrights And Trademarks
When you have created an original, marketable work, it’s important to protect your work from being stolen or used by someone else for their financial gain. Copyright law protects your creative expressions whether they involve music, sound recordings, screenplays, or films. Drawing from extensive experience in the field of entertainment law, I can assist you with copyright filings and litigation services where your existing copyrights have been infringed.
A trademark is a distinctive sign used by an individual, business or other legal entity to identify their unique products to the consumer. The trademark is used as a marketing tool to distinguish its products or services from other products and services on the market. An unregistered trademark uses the ™ symbol, whereas a registered trademark uses the ® symbol. A trademark may consist of a symbol, a design, logo, word, phrase, or any combination of these elements. The owner of a trademark is entitled to initiate a legal proceeding for trademark infringement for unauthorized use of their trademark.
Houston Entertainment Law Attorney
With trademarks, the first step in obtaining a trademark will be to conduct a search of all pending and existing trademark applications; this will include State, Federal and Common Law trademarks. I can also assist you with filing a copyright application and submitting a copy of your original work with the Library of Congress. Once the U.S. Copyright Office issues you a registration, you will have exclusive rights over the copyrighted material for a certain period of time. I will not only explain how to protect your copyrights, but I can also explain other strategies that can protect and maximize the efficiency of your trademarks and copyrights.
It’s important to understand that protecting your work doesn’t stop when you register your work, there are specific actions that you must take in order to protect such rights. Furthermore, you must exercise due diligence in order to ensure that trademark and copyright infringement are monitored. If your rights are violated, it’s critical to take quick and decisive action to protect your work. Whether you wish to submit an application with the United States Trademark Office, or if you need assistance with a trademark search, or a copyright filing, I can provide you with excellent legal representation.
Should trademark or copyright infringement threaten your intellectual property rights, I can assist you in taking immediate legal action against the individual or entity that is in violation of the law. I understand the amount of creativity and hard work that goes into creating a screenplay, a film, or a trademark; therefore, I am here to assist you in all aspects of the legal process from filing an application for registration to full blown litigation against someone who has stolen your work and violated state and federal laws in the process.
Get started by calling my firm today at 713-936-9553 to schedule your initial consultation.