Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Georgia
Do I Have A Case of Copyright Infringement?
I have written a children's book and had it copyrighted in Jan 2001. I have sent it to numerous publisher's, editor's, and agents including some magazines without success. I have even rewrote it in scriptform for tv and sent that out. This past Christmas I discovered a mother & daughter team published a book following my storyline that I copyrighted! There are many similarities that I feel are a little too close to my property, even up to the way I wanted to package it. Their book is copyrighted 2005. Plus ,one of the author's worked as an editor which causes me to think she might have come across my manuscript at one time. I need to know if I have a case and the procedure to follow if I do. Thanks
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Do I Have A Case of Copyright Infringement?
You certainly have a right to preclude other people from copying your book and derivative uses. However, general plot lines are not copyright-able. As such, it would be a factual determination regarding the similarities of the two books. Contact a local intellectual property attorney to review your situation.
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