Copyright

Copyright applies to many of the things we use and consume on a daily basis. Not just music, books, and art, but all kinds of texts, images, sounds, designs, formats, and software.

For many organisations, copyrights comprise a significant part of their value – take them away and you take away their business. For others, such as broadcasters, being able to use copyright-protected works for a reasonable fee is vital to their survival. In between the owners and users of protected works are the intermediaries who make internet communication possible, and who are coming under increasing pressure both to “do more” to prevent infringement and to “do less” to influence their users’ information consumption.

Copyright owners and users need to know when something is protected, what acts are prohibited, and whether a reasonable license deal can or should be struck. Intermediaries need to know what their role and responsibilities are, and when they might be held responsible for their users’ actions. They all need expert representation when a dispute needs to be litigated or resolved.

With the rise of digital distribution technologies, copyright law has become more complex, the amounts at stake have grown, and getting the right advice has become more important than ever. At Brinkhof, we are acknowledged as one of the market leaders in the copyright field. We work for some of the world’s best-known companies and have wide-ranging expertise both in safeguarding the exclusive rights of authors of original works and in helping users and intermediaries navigate their way through the minefield of copyright.