4 March 2019: The U.S. Supreme Court held today that bringing a suit for copyright infringement requires that the infringed work actually be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, (i.e., Issuance of a Certificate) and that a mere application for registration will not suffice.
What this means for Self-Published Authors and Publishers:
The ruling makes it even more imperative that copyright holders register their works promptly if they wish to enforce their rights — on top of the already considerable financial incentives that the U.S. copyright regime provides for registered works.
While expedited registration remains available to copyright claimants for a fee, the Court’s new ruling is most likely to impact copyright holders for whom a delay of even a few weeks in bringing suit could prove irreparable —particularly those seeking temporary restraining orders or other preliminary injunctive relief.
See full article in National Law Review:
Bowker and Publisher Services have partnered with Digi-Rights to assist clients with copyright registration due to the technicalities and nuances of the registration process.
