6 Copyright Infringement Penalties You Must Know

Any individual or entity that undergoes copyright infringement, or violates the specific rules associated with the exclusive rights that copyrights protect will be regarded as an infringer under Section 602 of the United States copyright laws. Copyright infringement is the blatant act of violating a preexisting copyright at the expense of the copyright owner's exclusive rights guaranteed through the Federal Copyright Act. There are three basic elements that must be in place for infringement to occur: 1. The copyright holder must possess a valid copyright. 2. The person who is allegedly infringing on the copyright must have access to the protected work. 3. The duplication of the copyrighted work must exist outside the exceptions. If any of the above rules are violated the following penalties will be attached to copyright infringement: 1. The infringer will pay the actual dollar amount of profits received from the infringement or damages caused by the infringement. 2. The law provides a range of $200 to $150,000 for each work infringed. 3. The infringer is forced to pay all court and legal costs associated with the conviction. 4. The Court can issue an injunction. 5. The Court can impound the illegal works. 6. The infringer can face criminal charges and go to jail.