Copyrights - fixed or one-time cost

Question

Are copyrights like patents or licensing agreements? They are only valid for x number of years and you need to keep paying to protect your intellectual capital? What about trademarks? Are either of these one-time costs?

Answer 1

Hi there,

In most countries you don’t have to pay for copyrights – they are automatic and apply as soon as the work is published. Most copyrights last for decades – those on books for example last 70 years after the publication
Trademarks last for several year (eg 10) and you pay them once for that period, then usually you can renew

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Answer 2

Typically one-off at the time of registration. Though you might have to spend time and money on monitoring the market for violations of your patents/copyrights and enforcing them (i.e. paying a lawyer).

Answer 3

This will depend on country, industry and type of the patent/license. As a broad principle, it will be a one time cost for the period it lasts. Fee for this also varies and there is no one size fits all approach.

Answer 4

Hi there,

Copyrights are a one-time cost. They last for many years so they cannot be fixed costs!