copyrights

Submission Requirements for the Standard Copyright Process

The U.S. Copyright Office requires submission of (1) a properly completed application (2) a nonrefundable filing fee and (3) a nonrefundable deposit. 

Requisites of a Properly Completed Application

• Completion of a profile with the eCO at eco.copyright.gov
• Initiation of a new application by or on behalf of the author of the copyrighted work, a copyright claimant, or an owner of one or more exclusive rights by clicking “Register Work” which will then require the: 
  • Identification of the type of work being registered.
  • Identification of the title of the work, together with any previous or alternative titles under which the work can be identified.
  • Identification of whether the work has been published. 
  • Identification of the work’s “author” and the copyright “claimant.” 
  • (if the work is derivative) identification of the new material and any preexisting materials that should be excluded from protection.
  • Identification of the mailing address where the certificate of registration should be delivered.‍

Required Filing Fee 

The filing fee for a standard application is $65 and may be paid online at pay.gov. 

Required Deposit of Work 

For the deposit of work, the applicant must submit the required number of copies or phonorecords of either the first published or the "best edition" of the work depending on the nature of the work.

What is “Special Handling”?

Special handling is a procedure for expediting the examination of an application to register a claim to copyright or the recordation of a document pertaining to copyright for an additional fee of $800 per claim. 

To request special handling, the applicant must state the reason for the expediency either online, in person, by courier, or by mail. The request may be made when the application or document is submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office or any time before the Office issues a certificate of registration or a certificate of recordation.

When requesting special handling for an application, the Office strongly encourages applicants to complete an online application and upload an electronic copy of the work if the work is eligible for submission in an electronic format. 

During the submission of an application by using the electronic registration system, the applicant may request special handling by completing the fields that appear on the Special Handling screen. 

Like, the standard copyright registration process, the request for special handling must then be certified by an author of the work, the claimant named in the application, an owner of one or more of the exclusive rights in the work, or a duly authorized agent of one of the aforementioned parties. The certifying party should then check the certification box to confirm the information provided in the request for special handling is correct.

When is “Special Handling” recommended”?

“Special Handling” is recommended generally when pending or prospective litigation exists, for custom matters, and when contract or publishing deadlines necessitate the expedited issuance of a certificate.

Once the request is approved, the Office will attempt to complete the examination within five working days followed by the issuance of a certificate of registration.

With this expediency, special handling has the power not only to accelerate copyright protection, but to safeguard your projected earnings, time, and intellect from competitors.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998

The federal government implemented the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (“DMCA”) to protect those that use copyrighted material in a digital format. This provides significant liability protection for those who host interactive online media.

‍Service Providers 

“Service providers” are especially vulnerable to infringement. The DMCA defines a service provider as “an entity offering the transmission, routing, or providing of connections for digital online communications, between or among points specified by a user, of material of the user’s choosing, without modification to the content of the material as sent or received” and “a provider of online services or network access, or the operator of facilities therefore.”

Safe Harbor Protection

Unfortunately, copyright infringement is still valid even if you did not know the work was copyrighted. This is because the DMCA highlights this exact problem, and the responsibility of obtaining Safe Harbor protection is solely on the owner of the platform. It is especially important to apply for this protection if you do not know if your website has copyrighted material.

The DMCA protects work that is primarily displayed by service providers, which means your platform could be at risk for infringement without this protection. Copyrighted material on a website can include stock images, music, photography and others of the like. 

The good news is that applying for Safe Harbor protection is quite simple. To achieve this, you’ll need to create a DMCA Designated Agent account and assign a registered agent. A registered agent can be anyone of your choosing, so once you’ve selected an agent, you can click on the following link to set up an account: https://dmca.copyright.gov/osp/p1.html. Once registered, your platform is immediately covered under Safe Harbor protection. This is an easy step to take to prevent an infringement headache waiting to happen. 

Having trouble with copyright infringement?

Schedule a free consultation with Lloyd & Mousilli to discuss how to avoid committing infringement as well as how to protect yourself from infringers.

La Dart’s official complaint is largely predicated on her assertion that the stylistic elements of her book are not typical, and that they are not present within other published works. Therefore, she alleges that there is a substantially similar overall impression of the two works that constitutes infringement. 

In order to prove her allegations, La Dart has the burden of proving two elements:

1. She owns a valid copyright 
2. Swift copied constituent elements of La Dart’s original work

La Dart’s complaint establishes that she obtained a valid copyright registration for her book in 2010. The more difficult element to prove is the second, as it relies on La Dart using circumstantial evidence to support her claims. 

For example, La Dart’s complaint asserts that Swift had “repeated and long-term access” to her book “Lover“ as it was available through various channels after its publication. If she is unable to provide evidence that the work was actually accessed, she must show that there is a “striking similarity” between her work and Swift’s.

La Dart claims that Swift’s album and accompanying book contain a “substantially similar” format, color scheme, and design. The identical titles, of course, are also at issue. The complaint also alleges that the photographs of the two women on the covers of their respective books are similar enough to warrant infringement, as they are each shown in an “upward pose.” 

An additional element often used to prove copyright infringement is that the defendant sought commercial advantage or private financial gain. While La Dart’s complaint does not explicitly accuse Swift of such, it certainly implies it by referring to the considerable number of sales and subsequent monetary gains of Swift’s Lover album.

The complaint, filed on August 23rd, 2022, declares that La Dart has been irreparably harmed by Swift’s album. She is seeking $1 million in damages, as well as Swift’s profits attributable to the infringement. At the time of this publication, there were currently no substantive updates on the case.

‍

‍