One of the earliest laws for the protection of authors, enacted by the city-state of Venice in 1545, required consent of the author before printers "dare to print" the words of others. Great Britain's Book Licensing Act, which expired in 1679 and was succeeded by the Statute of Anne, formed the basis of early U.S. law. Today, copyright law is at the forefront of the computer and Internet age.

Works of a technical nature, such as computer software, architectural and technical drawings and maps are protectable under U.S. law. The ability to fix creative works in tangible forms, previously not envisioned, poses new challenges in this millennium. Roberts Mlotkowski Safran & Cole is ready for the challenge.

Our services include copyright registration, negotiating and drafting license agreements, and assisting in enforcement activities worldwide. We can assist in the protection of computer software and can achieve it without the disclosure of your most sensitive trade secrets.

We believe that effective counseling is essential to maximizing the value of copyrightable works. We have observed through experience that businesses employing consultants and contractors often learn the hard way that they have lost the full value of their purchases by failing to define who owns the rights to copyrightable works produced at their expense and for their benefit. By failing to define what they own up-front, it is often found that the consultant or contractor, through copyright ownership, is free to sell the work product developed at the purchaser's expense, to direct competitors. The experienced copyright counsel at RMSC Law can eliminate this risk.

As a full service intellectual property firm, we can combine our expertise in patent law with our experience in copyrights and trade secret law to provide a comprehensive approach to providing the maximum level of protection.