Legal Question in Technology Law in Texas

Re: Copyright Infringment on the Internet

Standard copyright notice is "Copyright (c) 2000 by [Name]. All rights reserved." Simply posting this gives you basic copyright protection. If your right has been violated, you still have to prove actual damages (sometimes a difficult proposition; can you quantify the dollars you lost as a result of the infringement?) unless you registered your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. If you did, there are statutory damages that are awardable.

Regardless whether it is worthwhile to pursue damages in this case, consulting with an attorney may be useful to (1) stop the infringement, (2) get your copyright registered, and (3) make sure your contracts are worded to give you as much protection as possible.

This is general information for discussion purposes. We would need to have an attorney-client relationship for me to give legal advice.

Re: Copyright Infringment on the Internet

Your question suggests the presence of other facts that are important. You say you signed a contract; what does the contract say? If you had a business relationship with the wrongdoers the facts of that relationship need to be examined before a meaningful answer can be given to your question. So you really need to talk to a copyright attorney who can look at the contract, and ask questions about your relationship with the wrongdoers. In sounds like you may have a claim, but without more facts it is really too hard to say. Even if you do have a claim, and you pursue it (usually a costly enterprise) you have to ask yourself if the wrongdoer is (1) solvent, and (2) likely to have liquid assets to pay a judgment that you might get (after having spent a lot yourself)? If the answer to either question is "probably no" then it isn't worth getting worked up about. But, as I said, I am speaking without enough specific information to offer a truly meaningful response. Hope this is somewhat helpful.