Do I have to register a copyright to own it?

No. Copyright exists as soon as your work is fixed in a tangible form. Registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is what lets you sue for infringement and claim statutory damages and attorney's fees.

What are statutory damages worth?

Up to $150,000 per work for willful infringement, plus attorney's fees — but only if the work was registered before the infringement began or within three months of first publication.

What is the difference between a trademark and a copyright?

A trademark protects a brand identifier — a name, logo, or slogan used to identify the source of goods or services. A copyright protects creative expression such as books, music, software, photographs, and film.

Can you get my work removed from a website?

Yes. We issue DMCA takedown notices to platforms and hosting providers, and we defend wrongful takedowns with counter-notices when your use is licensed or a fair use.

Your creative work is your property.

Copyright grants its creator the exclusive legal right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or adapt their work, while strictly prohibiting others from copying those specific expressions. While copyright protection is automatic the moment a work is created, registering your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office provides critical legal and financial benefits and unlocks the remedies that make that protection enforceable. It establishes public ownership, serves as a prerequisite for suing infringers, and allows you to seek higher monetary damages in court and your attorney's fees. FinchMark handles registration, licensing, takedowns, and litigation so you can keep creating.

Free consultation Call 301-388-2252

Gold padlock with a chrome circled copyright symbol in front, representing federally registered copyright protection.

What to expect

The copyright process, start to finish.

Most U.S. Copyright Office registrations issue within 3–9 months of filing. Your statutory rights, however, take effect on the filing date. Here is how we move a work from creation to certificate.

Step 01 Week 1
Free consultation
We learn about the work — what it is, when it was created, who contributed, and whether it has been published. You get a clear scope and an honest estimate.
Step 02 Weeks 1–2
Work identification & deposit prep
We confirm authorship, work-for-hire status, ownership chain, and the right registration category (literary, musical, visual, software, audiovisual), and prepare the required deposit copies.
Step 03 Week 2
Application filing
We file with the U.S. Copyright Office. Your effective registration date is the day of filing — important for statutory damages eligibility.
Step 04 Months 1–8
Copyright Office examination
An examiner reviews the application and deposit. We track the docket and flag anything that needs your attention.
Step 05 As needed
Correspondence (if needed)
If the examiner asks a question or requests a clarification, we respond promptly with the legal and factual support to keep the application on track.
Step 06 Months 3–9
Certificate issued
You receive your certificate of registration — prima facie evidence of validity, the prerequisite for federal-court litigation, and the gateway to statutory damages and attorney's fees.
Step 07 Ongoing
Ongoing enforcement
DMCA takedowns, cease-and-desist letters, licensing, and (when needed) infringement litigation — leveraging the registration you now hold.

Copyright Registration

We prepare and file applications with the U.S. Copyright Office for literary works, music, software, photography, visual art, audiovisual works, and architectural designs — securing the statutory damages and attorney's-fees eligibility that only registration provides.

Licensing & Assignments

Work-for-hire agreements, exclusive and non-exclusive licenses, assignment of rights, and termination-of-transfer planning under Sections 203 and 304 — drafted to keep the value of your work where it belongs.

DMCA Takedowns & Counter-Notices

When your work is reposted, scraped, or pirated, we issue DMCA takedown notices to platforms and hosts — and defend wrongful takedowns with proper counter-notices when fair use or licensed reuse is at stake.

Infringement Enforcement

Cease-and-desist letters, settlement negotiation, and federal copyright infringement litigation. Timely registration unlocks statutory damages up to $150,000 per work for willful infringement and your attorney's fees.

Fair Use & Permissions Counsel

Guidance on fair use, public-domain status, quotation, and permissions clearance for authors, publishers, educators, and content creators — before you publish, not after a takedown.

Strategic IP Audits

A coordinated review of the copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets in your business — so the work you commission, the brand you build, and the content you publish are actually owned by the entity that needs to own them.

Why register early.

Without timely registration you're limited to actual damages and lost profits — usually far less than the cost of proving them.
Timely registration (within 3 months of publication, or before infringement begins) unlocks statutory damages and attorney's fees.
Registration is required before filing an infringement lawsuit in federal court.
A certificate of registration is prima facie evidence of the validity of your copyright.
Registered works can be recorded with U.S. Customs to block infringing imports.
The registration record is public notice — useful for licensing, due diligence, and acquisition.

Have a work to protect?

Tell us about it. The first conversation is free.

Start a conversation Call 301-388-2252

FAQ

Copyright questions we hear most

Filing since 1976
Two generations of trademark and copyright practice.
USPTO practice
Federal searches, applications, office actions, and appeals.
Maryland based
Silver Spring office, clients across the United States.
Flat, quoted fees
You hear the cost before any work begins.

What copyright and trademark clients say

“Ruth Mae Finch has successfully filed and obtained many of our company trademarks over the past thirteen years.”

Emi Burke

Founder, Message of Hope Foundation

“Most people don't realize how important trademark registration and protecting their brand is.”

Mike Turajczyk, M.A., C.P.L.C.

Founder, Polish Your Business

“Ruth has been doing trademark and related work for International Nutrition for years. She has a thorough knowledge of the subject and provides excellent work at a reasonable price.”

Robert M. Pugaczewski

President, International Nutrition

Read all client testimonials