In today’s economic climate, entrepreneurs and business investors must weigh the practical risks inherent in different company models in order to properly protect against major risks. For example, executives and entrepreneurs may need to invest in various kinds of specialized insurance. They may need to include certain terms in their contracts because of acknowledged industry risks. They may also need to take additional steps to protect their company’s assets and intellectual property from infringers that could make the organization less profitable.
One cost efficient way for any individual creator or business to protect its intellectual property is to obtain formal copyright protection. Companies in a variety of industries require far more significant copyright protection than others do because of how they conduct business. The industries noted below, for example, are at a higher risk to copyright violations by infringers.
The publishing industry
Published works, including books, newspapers and magazines, all provide both physical and digital content to consumers for education or entertainment purposes. Once these businesses release their works to the public, they can sometimes be exploited by others. Copyright protection for these published works can help reduce the likelihood of another business or individual republishing or otherwise misusing a copyrighted work for profit.
The entertainment and music industries
Although there are independent creators who sometimes put together entire albums of music or low-budget films, most of modern entertainment and music come from corporate organizations. These businesses release films, songs and other creative works to the public for a price and need to control distribution to recoup their investment. Copyright protection is incredibly important for any organization releasing music or film media to the public.
The tech industry
There are many kinds of technological investments that qualify for copyright protection. A creative and original user interface developed for an app or program may be eligible for copyright protection. The music recorded for a video game may also benefit from official copyright registration to deter would-be infringers.
With all of this said, the reality is that any business that has invested in the creation or purchase of original works will likely benefit from filing for formal copyright protection for those original works. Formal copyright registration helps speed up the process of copyright enforcement and eliminates uncertainties about ownership of the copyright in any subsequent legal actions.