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Protect Your Business Against Copyright Trolls


Protect Your Business Against Copyright Trolls

Know your rights when it comes to copyright

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Like a patent troll, the main purpose of a copyright troll is to profit from litigation, and the best way to protect yourself and your business from them is to know your rights. It's also important, of course, to avoid infringing on copyrights in the first place.

A copyright troll purchases copyrights for the sole purpose of enforcing them and making money through litigation. It's an opportunistic activity that often targets the innocent person who has no idea that a work is copyrighted. And in many cases, the uses fall under "fair use" but the victim is intimidated by the threatening communication from the copyright holder and ends up settling, thereby "feeding the troll".

What makes this activity so lucrative is that a copyright troll whose copyright has been infringed is able to recover statutory damages instead of merely the actual damages suffered due to the copyright infringement. The award amount can go up to $30,000 for each work, but if the copyright owner can prove the defendant knew of the infringement, the award can go as high as $150,000. It's a pretty lucrative business for trolls and can cost victims dearly. The best defense is awareness.

The following infographic sheds some light on the numbers behind this nefarious activity.

Copyright Trolls
Source: Online-Paralegal-Degree.org