Copyright lawyers may be required for a number of reasons. You may have just published a song or music video, which you wish to protect from others using. You may have taken a number of photos or made your own logo, which you wish to protect from unauthorised use. Alternatively, you may be the victim of a copyright breach, or the alleged breacher. In any of these situations, a copyright lawyer is of vital assistance.

This post contains 4 questions which you can keep in mind when browsing through LawPath’s Lawyer Directory for Copyright Lawyers.

1. Reflect – Is it a Copyright Issue?

There are different protections afforded to various types of Intellectual Property. Before searching for a lawyer, you should understand these various forms. This is an important consideration as some lawyers may have speciality in one category of Intellectual Property Law, but not others.

This infographic by infographic, copyrights protect ideas or creative concepts. However, this protection is not for the idea, but specifically for the ‘expression of the idea’. This could include “books, films, music, sound recordings, newspapers, magazines and artwork… originally created typographical arrangements, databases, media broadcasts, computer programs and compositions of other people’s work such as academic journals or CD compilations”.

2. Categorise – Which Sector is your Copyright Issue is within?

Another important consideration when choosing a copyright lawyers is which specific sector the copyright issue falls under. For example, the copyright issue may be about a song, a book or a computer program. These different situations will require different expertise and experience, so it would be useful to find a lawyer with the experience relevant to your issue.

3. Decide – What type of legal assistance do you require?

Depending on whether you wish to register a copyright to protect your creation, or whether there is litigation, or the threat of litigation for an alleged breach of a copyright, the role of the lawyer will differ greatly, necessitating difference expertise.

If your issue is the former, you should look for a lawyer who has more experience in transactional work and in applying for copyrights. If your issue is the latter, you should look for a lawyer who has more Court and litigation experience so that they are ready to either negotiate and finalise the matter or fight the matter in Court.

4. Understand – What are the legal costs?

Before applying for quotes or retaining a lawyer you should understand the various legal cost structures. This is important for transparency purposes, and so that you have a good understanding of how much the matter is going to cost you and the scope of work that is included in the retainer.

There are two common methods of payment.

Billable hours

Billable hours are when the lawyer charges for every hour spent on your issue. You should try and get an idea of how many hours the lawyer expects to take. Keep in mind that even a short five-minute conversation can add much more than that into your final charge.

Flat fee

A flat fee can provide a better idea of what you’re paying. The flat fee, however, may not cover all legal costs such as filing or updates to your plans in the future.

You can learn more about how lawyers charge clients by reading our legal guide on how much you should pay for a lawyer.

Conclusion

As discussed, it is vital that you hire a lawyer with the relevant knowledge and expertise to your specific legal needs. Keep the above questions in mind when browsing through LawPath’s Lawyer Directory for Copyright Lawyers.

Require a specialist copyright lawyer? Contact a LawPath consultant on 1800 529 728 to learn more about customising legal documents, obtaining a fixed-fee quote from our lawyer marketplace or any other legal needs.