Find Lawyers in Massachusetts, United States for Copyright Law
Practice Area Overview
Copyright applies to original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible medium of expression. An original work of authorship is one that is independently created and includes a minimum level of creativity. Examples of the types of works to which copyrights apply include literary works, drawings, paintings, sculptures, movies, music, video games, and other works of art. Copyright protection also applies to computer software.
Copyright protection does not protect ideas, but protects the expression of an idea. A work does not need to be registered with the Copyright Office to be afforded copyright protection. However, it must be registered with the Copyright Office to bring a lawsuit for copyright infringement. In addition, significant benefits arise from the timely registration of copyrights.
The author of a work is vested with a number of exclusive rights when copyright protection arises. These exclusive rights include, among other things, the right to reproduce (copy), adapt, display, and publicly perform the work. The author may transfer all or some of his or her exclusive rights in the work to another party. For example, the author of a novel may transfer the right to adapt a novel into a screenplay to a movie studio, while still retaining the copyright in the novel itself. Another significant component of copyright law is the area of fair use, which allows use of a copyrighted work without permission in certain limited circumstances (e.g., for the purpose of commenting on or criticizing the work).
Copyright lawyers assist clients with identifying materials that are protectable by copyright, registering copyrightable works with the United States Copyright Office, and counseling clients in the various ways in which copyrights may be acquired, protected, and exploited. Litigation also is a large part of a copyright lawyer’s practice.
Copyright law also addresses issues involving digital rights management, which are measures designed to manage digital copies of works. With the advent of digital copies, some copyright owners seek to restrict the ability to make copies of a particular work. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which is part of U.S. copyright law, prohibits circumventing measures that are designed to prevent copying of copyrighted works. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act also, among other things, provides a framework for online service providers for avoiding copyright infringement based on the acts of the online service provider’s users.
Joel D. Leviton, Co-Chair of Copyright Practice
Kristen McCallion, Co-Chair of Copyright Practice
Fish & Richardson
Steve Abreu takes a pragmatic approach to trademark clearance, registration and enforcement to help a wide range of enterprises meet their intellectual property protection and business goals. Steve’s clients are varied and include renowned institutions of higher learning, consumer and medical product companies, and specialty magazines. He also represents well-known manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products. Steve’s strategic outlook on trademark and copyright pro...
Robert Asher leads the post-grant proceedings team at Sunstein leveraging his deep experience in patent litigation and patent prosecution. He is an astute and accomplished advocate for inventors and businesses affected by patents. Clients have been richly rewarded from Bob’s litigation guidance, appellate advocacy and patent prosecution work. He is the chair of Sunstein’s PTAB Litigation practice group. Our team won a $14.6M verdict for patent infringement of infrared thermometer ...
Ilan Barzilay is an intellectual property practitioner specializing in obtaining and enforcing patent rights. Ilan leads a team of attorneys that procures patents for clients ranging from technology startups and research institutions to established companies and multinational corporations. He is a trusted advisor to clients seeking meaningful patent protection crafted to align with important business goals. His practice also includes handling contentious matters in the federal courts and befo...
Michael Brodowski is a patent lawyer and partner in the Boston office of Burns & Levinson LLP. Michael has two decades of experience counseling clients regarding the establishment and exploitation of patent rights in the United States and abroad to support clients’ business objectives including patent reexamination, reissue, and opposition proceedings. He also advises clients on avoiding the patent rights of others, and in connection with technology licenses and agreements, and pate...
Ronald Cahill is well-respected for his work with clients of virtually all sizes to solve their most challenging intellectual property problems. His advice ranges from designing protection that maximizes the value of the client’s investment in research and development to applying that IP in court and in the marketplace, which allows clients to realize that value. With decades of courtroom experience, Ron has led trial teams in patent infringement cases around the country. He also conduc...
Kevin Canning is Counsel in the Technology and Life Sciences groups, and Medtech practice at Goodwin. Mr. Canning concentrates his legal practice in representing medical technology and software technology clients. Mr. Canning has extensive experience with patent matters for a wide range of technologies. He assists clients with the development and management of their patent portfolios and provides client counseling.
Rob Carroll is a partner in Goodwin’s IP Litigation group, and a member of the firm’s Antitrust Litigation and Business Litigation practices and is a member of the firm’s Life Sciences Disputes group. World Trademark Review describes him as a “[t]errific advocate” with “a glittering track record in contentious mandates. He has the ability to filter down all possible arguments to the ones viable in court and can then use his superior judgment to pick a winni...
Jenny Chen, Ph.D. counsels both US and international clients in a wide-array of patent-related matters in the life science space, including prosecution, opinion, due diligence, licensing and post-grant proceedings. Her practice focuses on matters including antibodies, cell therapies, gene therapies, small molecule therapeutics, diagnosis and pharmaceutical formulations. She is particularly experienced in strategic counseling on life cycle management of both biological and small molecule produ...
Sarah is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Over the last dozen years, she has led 16 patent infringement, trade secrets and invalidity trials (ten jury trials, six bench trials) across several jurisdictions, including the federal courts in Massachusetts, Florida, Delaware, Colorado, California and Texas. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/columbia-sarah-chapin/
Larry Green is a patent lawyer partner at Sunstein and is highly experienced in handling pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device patent interferences and litigation, patent and trademark prosecution, and clearance opinions on validity, infringement and patentability. His practice is focused on all aspects of intellectual property in various technologies, including medical devices and mechanical technologies. Larry has had a long history of successfully handling matters before the Pat...
Jason Kravitz heads up Nixon Peabody's IP Litigation group. Jason is a trial lawyer and his practice focuses on patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, privacy, and false advertising disputes. He has litigated cases involving a broad range of technologies, including software and hardware, business methods, personal care products, wireless devices, footwear, dental implants, and online advertising applications. What do you focus on? I focus on litigating and resolving intellectual property...
Tim’s extensive experience includes patent office litigation matters such as patent interference proceedings, Inter Partes Review and reexamination proceedings. He has shaped and executed winning strategies in patent litigations. In helping clients achieve their business goals, Tim devises strategies for maximizing the value of patent portfolios for litigation, licensing or acquisition. He develops and implements strategies for protecting his clients’ key technologies and for avoi...
Rory Pheiffer works with clients to develop patent portfolios, domestically and abroad, that align with their business goals. He also counsels clients on patent opinion and product clearance matters, IP due diligence issues on the buyer and seller side, license negotiations, and trademark portfolio growth and enforcement in conjunction with building the client’s brand. Clients rely on Rory’s technical knowledge, which he honed while earning a degree in mechanical engineering from ...
David Resnick is the team leader of the Patent group and he works with startup and established companies, as well as major U.S. research institutions, to develop comprehensive patent strategies to protect their intellectual property. What do you focus on? My practice is focused on strategic portfolio management, patent prosecution, transactional matters and associated client counseling. I manage the patent portfolios of some of the leading U.S. research institutions and domestic and internati...
Benjamin M. Stern is a partner in Nutter’s Litigation Department. He focuses his practice on patent litigation and has extensive trial experience representing multinational and entrepreneurial companies in federal and state courts nationwide, as well before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).With a strong background in both intellectual property litigation and complex commercial litig...
Bruce Sunstein’s strategic approach to intellectual property has enabled a wide range of enterprises to achieve dominant patent positions in their markets. Patents issuing on applications that Bruce has handled have been enforced for 8- and 9-figure infringement recoveries. He is a patent & IP strategist for market leaders and startups in diverse industries including computer hardware and software, electronic circuits and systems, communications and speech, medical devices, pharmace...
Lisa Tittemore is a partner at Sunstein and the Chair of the Litigation Practice. Lisa is a seasoned litigator, serving as lead counsel in patent, trademark and copyright litigation in federal courts throughout the United States. Lisa has extensive experience in intellectual property matters, providing strategic counsel to clients on both domestic and international issues and guiding the firm’s efforts in protecting and enforcing clients’ valuable brands and ideas. Lisa is a membe...
Alexander D. Augst advises clients, particularly in the medical device and life sciences industries, on a variety of intellectual property issues, including worldwide patent portfolio development and strategy, patent prosecution, due diligence and freedom to operate analysis, and litigation support. Alexander helps clients identify strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities to minimize threats and maximize revenue using their patent portfolios. Read full biography here: https://www.mwe.com/p...
Karishma Jiva Cartwright focuses her practice on drafting and prosecuting software-based patent applications, including machine-learning algorithms and AI systems, for large and small corporations, startups, and universities. She also has experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions for the following technology areas: business methods, financial methods, network communications, electronics, medical devices, and mechanical systems. Before joi...
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