Registering The Copyright
© Maintaining the copyright in a design can give an architect or engineer another tool in ensuring payment and completion of the contract. The right to come in and take back the designs or to seek an injunction has teeth and copyright is a limited issue in most standard form contracts. While disputes based on the licenses and the copyright terms of the contract carry meat, the A/E might consider registering their plans with the US Copyright Office prior to turning them over to other parties.
Having the protection of the registered copyright allows for the statutory provisions of US Copyright law to be used as well as seeking the remedy under the contract and can offer the added benefit of allowing the A/E to seek to recoup statutory damages as well as legal fees. A short primer is available from the office, and the limited fee, especially on designs that may be used multiple times can offer an added assurance that payment in full will occur.
