Copyright Infringement Lawyer in Los Angeles

Last updated: November 2026. Reviewed by Pavel Kolmogorov, California business litigation attorney (State Bar No. 321018).

A copyright infringement lawyer in Los Angeles sues over copied photographs, video, music, code, and written content, and defends the businesses and creators accused of copying. Kolmogorov Law, P.C. handles copyright cases for Los Angeles County clients in the Central District of California, because only federal courts can hear them. A United States work generally must be registered before suit, and a claim must be filed within three years after it accrues. Our office is in Irvine, and we meet Los Angeles clients in person or by video.

Call (909) 235-6116 or contact us online to discuss a copyright dispute in Los Angeles.

Copyright services for Los Angeles clients

Infringement claims. Anyone who violates one of the copyright owner's exclusive rights is an infringer, and the legal or beneficial owner of that right may sue. (17 U.S.C. § 501(a), (b).) We bring claims over images, footage, music cues, software, scripts, designs, and marketing copy.

Defense. We represent brands, agencies, and online sellers that are sued or threatened, including in cases where the claimed work was licensed, independently created, or used fairly.

Demand letter responses. Many Los Angeles businesses first meet copyright law through a letter about one photograph. Our page on responding to a copyright demand explains how those are evaluated.

Takedown disputes. Notices and counter-notices on video, marketplace, and social platforms, and claims against senders who misuse the process. A person who knowingly and materially misrepresents that material is infringing is liable for the resulting damages, including costs and attorneys' fees. (17 U.S.C. § 512(f).)

Ownership and work-for-hire disputes. Fights between companies and the freelancers, editors, and developers who made the work.

Licensing and royalty disputes, including use beyond the term, territory, or media a license allowed.

Where Los Angeles copyright cases are heard

No state court has jurisdiction over a claim arising under the copyright laws. (28 U.S.C. § 1338(a).) An infringement case against a Los Angeles County defendant therefore usually goes to the Central District of California. (28 U.S.C. § 1400(a).) Its Western Division holds court downtown, at the First Street Courthouse and the Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse.

State-law claims that grow out of the same facts, such as breach of the license, can usually travel with the federal claim. (28 U.S.C. § 1367(a).)

A dispute that is only about unpaid license fees may belong in Los Angeles Superior Court as a contract case. Deciding which kind of case you have is one of the first things we do.

Three Los Angeles copyright disputes

A Hollywood music library licenses a cue to a consumer brand for a single online video. A year later the same cue is running under the brand's paid social ads in several countries. The use exceeded the license, and the library's registration date will decide which remedies are open.

A Studio City production company hires a freelance animator to create the title sequence and character art for a web series. The deal memo is one page long and says nothing about ownership. After a falling-out, the animator offers the artwork to others. A transfer of copyright ownership is not valid unless it is in a writing signed by the owner of the rights. (17 U.S.C. § 204(a).) The company may hold a license and nothing more. Our page on contractor work and ownership explains how those cases are argued.

A Glendale online retailer wakes up to find its best-selling listing removed after a competitor's takedown notice. The photographs in the listing are the retailer's own. A counter-notice starts a short clock. To keep its legal protection, the platform is to restore the material in 10 to 14 business days, unless the sender first notifies it of a suit to restrain the posting. (17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(2)(C).)

What decides the value of a copyright case

Registration comes first. Generally, no civil action for infringement of a United States work may be filed until the copyright has been registered or preregistered, or registration has been refused. (17 U.S.C. § 411(a).)

Timing comes second, and it is where strong cases part from modest ones. For a published work, statutory damages and attorney's fees are off the table for infringement that started after first publication and before registration took effect, unless registration was made within three months after first publication. For an unpublished work, registration has to come before the infringement starts. (17 U.S.C. § 412.)

When the timing works, the owner may elect statutory damages in place of proving a loss. The court ordinarily sets the figure between $750 and $30,000 for each work. It may go as high as $150,000 for willful infringement, or as low as $200 for a proven innocent infringer. (17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1), (2).) A reasonable attorney's fee may also go to whichever side prevails. (17 U.S.C. § 505.)

When it does not, the owner may recover proven actual damages, plus the infringer's profits from the infringement that those damages do not already count. For profits, the owner need prove only the infringer's gross revenue from the infringing use. The infringer must then prove its deductible expenses and the share of profit that came from something other than the work. (17 U.S.C. § 504(b).)

The deadline is three years after the claim accrued. (17 U.S.C. § 507(b).) Our page on the copyright statute of limitations covers accrual and how far back damages reach.

The Los Angeles creators and companies we represent

Photographers, illustrators, and designers. Music libraries, composers, and independent labels. Production companies and post-production vendors. Game and software studios. Apparel and consumer brands. Marketing agencies and the clients whose campaigns they run. Online sellers on both ends of a takedown.

Chambers and Partners ranks the firm in its USA Spotlight 2026 guide for general commercial litigation in Orange County. The firm is a BBB Accredited Business, rated A.

How the firm works on a copyright case

The attorney you meet is the one who compares the two works, reads the registrations and the chain of title, and appears in court. No letter goes out until I have reviewed every agreement with the people who made the material.

On the enforcement side, we file or expedite registration, document the copying with dated captures, and send a demand that shows the comparison. On the defense side, we test ownership, registration, license, and independent creation, and we answer with facts. Our page on the elements of infringement explains what each side must prove.

Los Angeles clients meet with us by video, at our Irvine office, or at their own offices when the evidence is there.

What to bring to the first meeting

Bring the original files with their creation dates, and the date and place of first publication. Add registration certificates or application numbers. Agreements with freelancers, employees, and licensees matter as much as the work itself. Dated screenshots or downloads of the other side's use are the core proof. If you received a demand or a takedown, bring the notice and your account of how the material reached your site.

Frequently asked questions

A brand used my photographs in a paid Instagram campaign without a license. What can I recover if I never registered them?

You generally must register before suing, and you can still do that now. Because the infringement began before registration, federal law generally bars statutory damages and attorney's fees for it, unless it began after first publication and you register within three months of that publication. You may still recover your actual damages, such as a reasonable license fee, and the brand's profits attributable to the use.

Our Los Angeles agency got a demand letter over a stock image a freelancer placed on a client's site. Do we have to pay what it asks?

Not necessarily. Check who owns the image, when it was registered, and whether a stock license covered the use. Federal statutory damages generally start at $750 per work when they are available at all, and many demands ask for far more than a license would have cost. A documented response can resolve the matter for less than the amount demanded.

Can a copyright case be filed in Los Angeles Superior Court?

No. Federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over claims arising under the Copyright Act, so an infringement case from Los Angeles is usually filed in the Central District of California. A dispute that is only about payment under a license may be a state-court contract case, and related state claims can be joined in the federal action.

How long do I have to sue for copyright infringement?

Three years. The Copyright Act requires a civil action to be commenced within three years after the claim accrued. When a claim accrues can itself be disputed, so an older infringement is not always out of time. Have the dates reviewed promptly. A Los Angeles case would usually be filed in the Central District of California.

Who owns the copyright when a freelancer creates work for my Los Angeles company?

Usually the freelancer, unless there is a signed written transfer. Under the Copyright Act a transfer of ownership must be in writing and signed by the owner, and commissioned work qualifies as a work made for hire only in limited categories with a signed agreement. Without a writing, the company may have only a license to use the work.

Talk to a Los Angeles copyright litigation attorney

Call (909) 235-6116 or contact us online. Kolmogorov Law, P.C. is located at 327 Magnet, Irvine, CA 92618, and represents creators and businesses throughout Los Angeles County.

This page provides general information about federal copyright law and is not legal advice. Outcomes depend on the registration dates, the agreements, and the court.