Many of you wonder about what sets truly original work apart from derivative work. We often draw inspiration from various sources, so where do we draw the line?

A question I received recently: “There are thousands of books on leadership and all of them do not have super original ideas. Is each book a copyrighted original?”

US copyright law protects original works of authorship.

Per the U.S. Supreme Court, original means “the work was independently created by the author (as opposed to copied from other works), and that it possesses at least some minimal degree of creativity.”

If you've been considering the Non-Disclosure Agreement Guide but have some lingering questions, I'm here to provide the answers you need to make an informed decision.

Thank you for joining me for my three-part series about copyright infringement.

In part one, I reviewed what constitutes copyright infringement and the remedies available against infringers (which include civil and criminal penalties.)

Last week, I covered the consequences and penalties that can be levied against an infringer. They included money damages and criminal charges! No one wants to be an infringer.

I spend a lot of time talking about protecting our expertise through contracts and copyrights. Owning and controlling the fruits of our expertise is how we create scalable and saleable services businesses.

Is AI Taking Over Your Business?

Not…yet. But the time for keeping your head buried in the sand (which was my original plan😅) is past.

Even in a world where employee non-competes are generally not enforceable, two major issues come into play when you start an expertise-based business using the expertise you acquired from your corporate job (which most of us do).

As a professional services provider, your most valuable asset is your expertise.

Do you know the number one way we lose control of our most valuable asset? Contracts. Well, I should say, not using contracts or not understanding the contracts we sign. These are self-inflicted wounds.