Copyright

Owen, Wickersham & Erickson practices all aspects of copyright law, from protecting copyrights to negotiating licenses to enforcement and litigation. We represent authors and creators in many fields, including the visual arts, literary authors, software developers, musicians and performers, and corporate owners of famous copyrighted assets, as wells as those who seek to license or make fair use of copyrighted works.

Areas of focus:

  • U.S. copyright registrations
  • Recordations of copyright registrations and enforcement through U.S. Customs
  • International copyright protection
  • Copyright assignments and licensing agreements
  • Design and art services agreements for copyrighted works
  • Publishing agreements, co-authorship agreements
  • Website, software and technology development and licensing agreements
  • Copyright issues for technology and architectural works
  • Permission agreements and releases
  • Work made for hire issues and analysis
  • Acquisition of rights, renewals and termination rights
  • Policing counterfeits
  • Infringement claims, negotiations and litigation on behalf of both copyright owners and defendants
  • Fair use analysis and defense

Some of our copyright clients include:

  • Sanrio Company, Ltd. (owner of the famous Hello Kitty brand)
  • Craig Frazier (illustrator, creator of the Navigant illustrated corporate identity; children’s books)
  • Michael Schwab (illustrator, creator of the California National Parks typographic and illustrated brand identity; many famous product package designs)
  • Homies Inc. (creator of the Homies clothing and figurines)
  • The Doobie Brothers (rock musicians)
  • Jim Marshall Photography LLC (rock and jazz photographer)
  • San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (commissioned, acquired and licensed artwork and software)