Bjerkéns Patentbyrå – Upphovsrätt

Ensuring that expressions endure

When it comes to literary, musical or artistic rights, as soon as such a piece of work is created, the author, i.e. the person who created the piece, owns the exclusive rights to their artistic expression.

This person has both the moral rights to administer their work and the economic right to receive compensation when others show or use the work. Copyright may therefore be very significant for the author's commercial success, or for the company that acquires the economic right to the work.

We help clients to protect their artistic creations.

Our services

Bjerkéns Patentbyrå has extensive experience in managing copyright matters and assisting clients in areas such as:

assessing whether a literary, musical or artistic creation fulfils requirements for copyright protection,
assessing infringements upon copyright,
defending clients’ copyright against infringement, for example through litigation,
drafting agreements for transfer of copyright, for example between a company and an employee.

What does a copyright encompass?

A “work” may consist of a film, a painting, a literary or musical piece or even the source code to a computer program. Copyright also protects applied art, which covers certain furniture, cutlery and textiles, i.e. art/design that may be used.

An author may apply to have their work assessed by Svensk Forms Opinionsnämd (the Copyright Panel of the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design), which assesses the originality of the work and determines whether copyright protection is relevant for the work.

Is your artistic work being used by others?

In which countries is the copyright protected?

Copyright applies from the moment the work is created. Unlike patents, designs and trademarks, copyright does not need to be registered anywhere in order to be valid.

Are you getting paid for your creative expressions?

For how long is the protection valid?

Copyright generally lasts for the lifetime of the author and an additional 70 years thereafter. When the author dies, the heirs or right holders decide how the work may be used.

Can a company own copyright?

A work created by the employee of a company, for example an image or text, is generally deemed to be owned by the employee.

This is only valid, however, if no agreement has otherwise been signed stating that the company acquires the economic rights to the work created by the employees of the company.