Infringer pays the actual dollar amount of damages and profits. The law provides a range from $200 to $150,000 for each work infringed. Infringer pays for all attorneys fees and court costs. The Court can issue an injunction to stop the infringing acts.
One remedy is injunctive relief, which restrains the defendant from future copying of the work. A preliminary injunction can be sought early in the case to restrain copying during the lawsuit.
When a plaintiff brings a copyright infringement lawsuit for primary infringement, he or she must prove copyright ownership and that the defendant copied or otherwise violated his or her rights in original aspects of the copyrighted work.
7 Steps on How to Handle Copyright Infringement Step 1: Recognize Unauthorized Use. Step 2: Gather Pieces of Evidence. Step 3: Understand Your Rights. Step 4: Take Prompt Action. Step 5: Seek Legal Action. Step 6: Communicate with the Infringer. Step 7: Prevent Future Infringement.
Defenses to Copyright Infringement Claims Fair use doctrine. Proof the work was independently created and not copied. Innocence (proving there was no reason to believe the work was copyrighted) The use is with a license agreement in place (this can shift liability to the licensor)
The first tip for protecting your rights is to register the work with the U.S. Copyright Office. If you do not register your work, you cannot bring a copyright lawsuit under federal law. However, you can pursue a claim in state court to stop the infringer from using your copyrighted work and to seek actual damages.
Actual damages can be very high, but they must be proved and can also be very low. 4) If you haven't registered your work before the infringement, and the value of the infringement is low, it may be best to seek a settlement before starting a lawsuit.
What Is an Example of Injunctive Relief? Theft of Clients: If a former employee poaches a company's clients, the innocent party may try to stop the former client from causing further damage. Breach of Contract: Injunctive relief is an effective way to stop an offending party from continuing to breach a contract.