If you’re a creator or entrepreneur who relies on creative content for your livelihood, registering your copyrights early and often can be very beneficial.
The Monkey Selfie
Sugar Man Lawsuit Focuses on Missing Royalties
The story of Sixto Rodriguez, popularized in the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man", highlights what is frequently an issue for recording artists and songwriters: payment of royalties. Sometimes it's poor accounting by labels or publishers, sometimes malfeasance, and sometimes artists don't know who owns the rights to their music because the copyrights have changed hands so many times. Maintaining copies of contracts and records of payment are key to sorting out and resolving royalty underpayment!
An Oregon Guitar Legal Battle
Selecting and developing trademarks and brands are frequently the most important decisions a business can make. Marks that appear secure may be open to attack years or even decades later. A lawsuit filed by Korg Inc. against Jack Meussdorffer highlights how even a long-standing, vigilantly protected mark can be open to attack.