The Digital Millennium Copyright Act
The concept of intellectual property and the vociferous protection of a person or company’s intellectual property rights has evolved significantly throughout history. For example, prior to the Renaissance there was little or no effort expended by the author, composer, or artist of a piece to limit the use by others of a work. In many cases, they did not even sign their name or leave any identifying marks to claim ownership. Now, there are daily legal battles over who owns the rights to even fractional elements of a product, artwork, business model, or software code.
To address some of the concerns raised by the rapid advance of computer and networking technology, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was signed into law in 1998 by the United States Congress. If you believe that your intellectual property rights have been violated, contact the Des Moines business lawyers of LaMarca & Landry, P.C. at 877-327-2600.
Provisions of the DMCA
The primary thrust of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was to establish and more clearly delineate how efforts to circumvent copyright protection measures, disseminate copyrighted material not under one’s ownership, and other matters would be resolved and what the penalties for violations would be. There are five subsections of the law, or Titles of the Act, as follows:
- Title I – World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright and Performances and Phonograms Treaties Implementation Act
- Title II – Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act
- Title III – Computer Maintenance Competition Assurance Act
- Title IV – Miscellaneous Provisions
- Title V – Vessel Hull Design Protection Act
Contact Us
Let us help you to ensure your company’s compliance and to enforce any violations of your rights. Contact the Des Moines intellectual property lawyers of LaMarca & Landry, P.C. today at 877-327-2600.
