Saul Ewing’s copyright attorneys work with individuals and businesses to protect their valuable creations, such as software and game development, web development and content, photography, marketing/advertising content, writing/journalism, publishing, architectural works, music creation and production, and artistic works of all kinds. From registering copyrights to handling copyright infringement litigation, our team advises on a variety of matters, including in the following areas:
- Copyright Strategies
- Developing IP protection, enforcement and licensing strategies
- Copyright Registration & Enforcement
- Registering copyrights with the United States Copyright Office to establish rights to statutory damages and rights to sue for infringement
- Providing advice and counsel on protecting against copying of creations
- Copyright Infringement & Litigation
- Representing clients in copyright infringement disputes, including asserting and defending claims under copyright law
- Advising on Digital Millennium Copyright Act circumvention, takedown, and reverse takedown in federal court
- Drafting and responding to cease-and-desist letters alleging copyright infringement, and advising on takedown notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA)
- Copyright Transactions, Licensing & Agreements
- Conducting IP due diligence in corporate transactions, including the identification of key IP assets, and assessing the strength or weakness of copyrights portfolios
- Drafting and negotiating various copyright licenses, including work-for-hire agreements and software licenses
Key Contacts
Saul Ewing attorneys have represented the following clients in these select matters:
Litigation
- A payroll services company in a software ownership rights dispute involving copyright and trade secret issues in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan and U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
- A defendant advertising agency in an arbitration proceeding involving claims of breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, and copyright infringement relating to accounting software for the advertising industry.
- A publisher in a copyright action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that relates to photographs.
- An international flooring manufacturer in winning a circuit court decision on the copyrightability of laminate flooring.
Strategy, Procurement & Agreements
- A mobile interactive entertainment company in protecting all intellectual property aspects of its video games, including protecting copyright in its software code, and providing ongoing strategic intellectual property advice.
- A talent management firm client in multiple ongoing copyright registration, enforcement and licensing matters; joint ventures; and collaboration agreements.
- A craft brewery in rendering general corporate advice relating to capital formation and corporate and intellectual property matters, including copyright advice.
- A well-known musical artist in a right of copyright reversion matter in connection with a provision of the 1976 Copyright Act.