At Sodagar & Company, we understand that when negotiating a copyright license it is easy to be focused only with the monetary issues and determining the scope of the license. After all, royalties, payments, and defining the field of use for the license are important features of the license. That is why we are there to assist with the aspects of the license that are equally as important, for example: term, renewal, termination, and post-termination issues in the context of a copyright license agreement. An effective copyright license agreement is one that is drafted with regard to general contract interpretations and principles of equity. A properly drafted copyright license agreements can help both the copyright owner (licensor) and the party seeking to use the copyrighted work (licensee) achieve both their economical and operational objectives and eliminate most of the uncertainties that exist in a fast-paced commercial world. Some of the typical advantages of a copyright license agreement are: for example, a company that is financially risk-averse (or unsure of the ultimate value of the copyright) and wishes to gain access to the copyright for a potentially lower investment or the need for the work is time-limited. If the company only needs the work for a short period of time, a copyright license agreement may be the most cost effective alternative for obtaining it.
If you license or assign your copyright to another entity sometime after registration, or instead have acquired one or more copyright registrations from another, we can help you register the transfer document or license with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Please contact us to see how we can be of service with respect to your copyright needs.