PROTECT YOUR ORIGINAL WORK
Copyright
Attorney
Copyright guidance for the work you write, photograph, design, record, and build.
Tucker Law helps creators and businesses with copyright registration, ownership questions, and infringement disputes.
Or call 1-800-TUCKERWINS
LET’S TALK
Tell us what you’re working on.
Share a few details and our team will follow up about a consultation.
Please keep your initial message brief and avoid confidential details. Sending this form does not create an attorney-client relationship.
ORIGINAL WORK. REAL VALUE.
Your creativity deserves a considered plan.
Understand what you own, how registration fits, and what to do when your work is used without permission.
FOR CREATORS AND BUSINESSES
Creative work takes many forms.
A photograph, a software program, a manuscript, a recording, or a collection of artwork can represent years of effort. The legal questions often begin long before a dispute.
We help you consider the work itself, who contributed to it, when it was published, and the records that support your rights.
HOW WE HELP
A clearer path for your creative assets.
Copyright registration
Assess the work and prepare a registration application with attention to authorship, ownership, publication, and the material being claimed.
Ownership & use
Review questions about contributors, commissioned work, permissions, and the records that help explain who owns which rights.
Infringement disputes
Evaluate unauthorized use or an infringement allegation and consider enforcement, defenses, and a response suited to the situation.
Has someone used your work?
Preserve the original files, dates, links, and examples of the use. We can evaluate ownership, registration, and potential enforcement options.
Have you received a claim?
Keep the letter or notice and note any stated deadline. We help evaluate the allegations, relevant permissions, and possible defenses.
BEFORE A PROBLEM ARISES
Registration is part of the plan.
Copyright generally begins when original authorship is fixed in a tangible form. Registration creates a public record and can have important consequences for enforcing rights.
Timing can affect available remedies. We help you evaluate registration in light of your work, publication history, and any known infringement.
Identify the work
What was created, and which version needs attention?
Clarify the contributors
Who created it, and what agreements are in place?
Keep the timeline
Creation, publication, registration, and disputed use may all matter.
MEET YOUR IP ATTORNEY
Legal judgment.
An engineer’s perspective.
Matthew Sean Tucker
Matthew is a registered patent attorney and an electrical engineer. His intellectual property practice includes trademarks, copyrights, patent prosecution, and litigation.
He helps clients connect the legal questions to the business, creative, and technical details behind them.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Know what you’re protecting.
Does copyright protect an idea?
Copyright protects original expression fixed in a tangible form, rather than an underlying idea, method, or system. We can help assess the particular material you want to protect.
Do I need to register if protection is automatic?
Registration offers important legal benefits. For U.S. works, registration or refusal is generally required before bringing an infringement lawsuit. Timely registration can also affect eligibility for statutory damages and attorney’s fees.
Is copyright the same as a trademark?
No. Copyright concerns original expression; trademarks identify the source of goods or services. A project may raise both issues—for example, original artwork used as a brand logo.
What should I bring to a consultation?
A description or copy of the work, relevant dates, contributor agreements, registration information, and any notices or examples of disputed use are useful starting points.
Further reading: U.S. Copyright Office overview · Copyright Basics
MAKE THE NEXT MOVE WITH CLARITY
Let’s talk about your creative work.
Share what you have created, what concerns you, and what you want to accomplish.
