Copyright Infringment Penalties

Penalties for Copyright Infringement

Penalties for copyright infringement vary, but due to the difficulty in detection only large-scale infringements tend to face formal consequences. Consequences for copyright violations can include lawsuits filed on the part of the original author requesting restraining orders or injunctions to prevent further violations, the award money damages if appropriate, and the award attorney fees.

Some copyrights can be considered criminal in nature and result in fines or jail time. However, the Department of Justice tends only to pursue copyright violations at a criminal level if the violation is done intentionally for the purpose of commercial gain and a significant amount of money is at stake.