Copyright 

Almost all companies, authorities and organisations are affected by copyright law. The rules create both opportunities and challenges. Expert knowledge of copyright allows your organisation to gain a significant competitive advantage and mitigate legal risks.

What is Copyright in an ever-evolving world?

The rapid growth of the information society – with its new business models, participants and technological innovations – has increased the importance of copyright. Today, copyright, including copyright law, goes beyond traditional literary and artistic works such as books, music and visual arts. Copyright issues arise during creation, marketing, acquisition, sale, licensing, distribution and reproduction of a variety of products and services.

Vinge's experts have decades of experience of offering copyright legal advice in relation to the creation, use and defence of copyrighted assets, such as:

• Software
• Websites
• Blogs
• Apps
• Interfaces
• Databases
• Collections
• Business plans
• Advertising material
• Brochures
• Manuals
• Audiobooks
• Magazines
• Industrial design
• Clothing
• Pictures
• Sculptures
• Graphics
• Theatre
• Film
• Music
• Radio and television broadcasts.

The importance of knowing copyright law

Most companies are affected by the wide range of rules and interests that apply in the field of copyright. Business should be conducted with appropriate knowledge of the meaning and commercial functions of copyright. Understanding of copyright law makes it easier for companies to create, commercialise, use and defend assets protected by copyright. With the right knowledge, a company can also mitigate the risk of infringing someone else's copyright.

Copyright -the importance of an international perspective

Greater and quicker accessibility is a global phenomenon. On an international scale, copyrighted assets can represent considerable economic value. Modern copyright is therefore an important part of international trade policy. Swedish copyright is largely governed by influences from, among others, the European Court of Justice and the WTO. This means that changes in the outside world often have an impact on the copyright regulations.

How we can help your company with copyright issues

With a knowledge-oriented holistic perspective of your company's commercial needs, we can offer legal advice which helps your business to:

• identify protected assets
• optimise protection options
• increase licensing revenues
• intervene against plagiarism and other infringements
• clarify rights
• mitigate the risk of claims for damages, bans, badwill and costly copyright disputes

Our copyright lawyers also have extensive experience of working strategically and in parallel with several forms of protection and alternative solutions.

Copyright lawyers with broad experience and extensive knowledge

Our law firm has wide-ranging experience in copyright issues. We work with Swedish, foreign and international companies in a large number of industries. Our clients include IT companies, telecommunications companies, TV distributors, industry organisations in the media sector, furniture manufacturers, fashion houses, watch manufacturers, toy and gaming companies, book publishers, music publishers and sports associations. Vinge lawyers have also assisted companies in many other industries with copyright knowledge and advice, for example in connection with the production of commercials and product catalogues, the design of websites and the conclusion of sponsorship agreements. We have also helped several companies deal with complex database issues, for example when drawing up license agreements and terms of use.

Vinge has represented a large number of companies in copyright disputes, both in court and out of court. We have represented rights holders, licensees, intermediaries and users. A number of these assignments have been highly significant in the development of Swedish court practice.
Several of ours lawyers regularly lecture on copyright law at the major universities in Sweden and are also engaged by educational institutes and companies to give tailor-made lectures on copyright. We also participate actively in the copyright work carried out by the largest intellectual property associations in Sweden, including the preparation of consultation responses to the government. In addition, Vinge's experts have published a large number of articles in the field of copyright.

Optimise protection options with comprehensive intellectual property protection

A copyright is not the only way to protect a company's intangible assets. For many companies, it may be important to consider related protection options, such as trademark and design law. In practice, there are common elements between the intellectual property systems. The rules both complement each other and overlap. For example, the design of a product or packaging may be protected by several intellectual property laws and also by marketing law rules. The overlapping areas also tend to increase as a result of media convergence and a gradual reduction in protection requirements.

Companies can optimise their exclusive rights by working strategically and proactively with several protection options. In the long run, this can create significant competitive advantages, for example through the increased ability to identify and intervene against imitations and other infringements. Optimising intangible assets can also create value through increased licensing revenues. With expert intellectual property and market knowledge, a company can mitigate legal risks, including the risk of being sued, bans, badwill and costly copyright disputes.

Vinge's experts have extensive experience of working strategically and in parallel with several forms of protection and alternative solutions. With a knowledge-oriented holistic approach to a company's commercial needs, we can offer adequate and results-oriented advice.

A company's operations may also be affected by the interaction between intellectual property law and other areas of law, such as freedom of expression, privacy, competition law and consumer law. Vinge has significant experience in these disciplines. If necessary, Vinge's experts in intellectual property law collaborate with specialists from Vinge's other business areas. By combining extensive legal expertise with a thorough understanding of the commercial application of the rules, Vinge can offer business support in all legal issues.

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