Protect what you create. Monetize what you own.
Registration is the prerequisite to enforcement — and licensing is how copyright becomes revenue.
17 U.S.C.
Federal Copyright Registration & Licensing
The legal framework
Copyright exists the moment an original work is fixed in a tangible medium — but registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is what unlocks the remedies that make enforcement worthwhile. A timely registration establishes a public record, enables suit in federal court, and, for works registered before infringement (or within three months of publication), opens the door to statutory damages and attorney's fees. Beyond enforcement, the real economic value of a copyright often lies in licensing — the agreements that let others use a work while the owner retains control. We handle both: securing the registrations that protect our clients' creative output, and structuring the licensing arrangements that turn that output into a revenue stream.
Registration Timing
Registration before infringement (or within three months of publication) unlocks statutory damages and attorney's fees under 17 U.S.C. § 412. We advise on registration timing at the outset — before the work is distributed, not after a dispute appears.
Work-For-Hire
Work-made-for-hire status determines initial ownership — but the statutory categories are narrow and the written-agreement requirement is strict. We draft work-for-hire agreements that satisfy 17 U.S.C. § 101 and § 204, and litigate ownership disputes when the paperwork falls short.
Licensing Structure
Exclusive licenses must be in writing and signed by the owner (17 U.S.C. § 204(a)); non-exclusive licenses can be oral. We structure and negotiate both — controlling scope, territory, term, royalty, reversion, and audit rights to protect long-term value.
Fair Use
Fair use is a four-factor defense (purpose, nature, amount, market effect) decided case-by-case. We provide fair-use opinions on reproduction, sampling, parody, and transformative use — before the use, not after the cease-and-desist.
What we handle
Copyright Registration
Preparing and filing copyright applications with the U.S. Copyright Office — for literary works, music, visual art, software, film, photography, and architectural works. We manage the deposit requirements, claim-of-authorship analysis, and any examiner correspondence to registration.
Work-For-Hire & Ownership
Drafting and negotiating work-for-hire agreements, assignment agreements, and contributor releases that establish clean copyright ownership under 17 U.S.C. §§ 101 and 204 — and resolving ownership disputes when the paperwork is ambiguous or missing.
Licensing Arrangements
Structuring and negotiating exclusive and non-exclusive licenses — sync licenses, mechanical licenses, reproduction and distribution licenses, co-branding, and catalog licensing — with scope, territory, term, royalty, reversion, and audit provisions that protect long-term value.
Fair Use & Clearance
Providing fair-use analysis under the four-factor test, clearance opinions for third-party content, and advice on sampling, parody, transformative works, and the line between inspiration and infringement — before the use, not after the claim.
Copyright Ownership Disputes
Litigating ownership and authorship disputes — joint authorship, work-for-hire status, chain of title, and termination rights — in federal court and through negotiated resolution.
Registration for Litigation
Preparing and filing registrations to satisfy the registration prerequisite to suit (17 U.S.C. § 411(a)), including supplementary registrations to correct or amend the record, and coordinating with litigation strategy on statutory-damages and fee eligibility.
Trademark & Copyright
Copyright protection is automatic — but copyright enforcement is not. Registration is the prerequisite to the remedies that make enforcement worthwhile, and clean ownership is the prerequisite to the licensing that makes copyright valuable. We handle both, before the dispute and before the deal.
— Michael A. Johnson, Shareholder
How we work
Shareholder-led from intake. Counsel that moves as fast as the matter requires — and prepares for the resolution that may never require a courtroom.
Inventory & Strategy
We inventory your creative output and copyright assets, then map a registration strategy — prioritizing works that matter most to enforcement, monetization, and valuation.
Register & Document
We prepare and file registrations, establish a clean chain of ownership through work-for-hire and assignment agreements, and document the licensing structure that will govern downstream use.
License & Monetize
We structure and negotiate the licensing arrangements that turn copyright assets into revenue — controlling scope, term, royalty, and reversion to protect long-term value.
Enforce & Defend
When a work is infringed or a license is challenged, we enforce through cease-and-desist, DMCA takedown, and federal litigation — and defend clients against overbroad or unsupported infringement claims.
Representative results
Outcomes in this area. Every result depends on its facts; past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Multi-Class
Built and manages a copyright registration portfolio for a media company spanning literary, musical, and visual works — with registration timed to preserve statutory-damages eligibility across the catalog.
Media Company · 2025
Catalog Deal
Structured a multi-year sync licensing program for a music publishing client — controlling territory, media, term, and reversion to monetize the catalog while preserving long-term ownership.
Music Publisher · 2024
Resolved
Resolved a joint-authorship and work-for-hire ownership dispute over a copyrighted work — established clean chain of title through contributor releases and avoided federal litigation.
Creative Dispute · 2023
Michael A. Johnson
Shareholder Nashville
Business and intellectual property counsel to founders, creative companies, and technology businesses.
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