Copyright Infringement Lawyer in Orange County

Last updated: November 2026

A copyright infringement lawyer in Orange County enforces the rights of businesses whose photographs, designs, software, or website content have been copied, and defends businesses accused of copying. Kolmogorov Law, P.C. is an Irvine litigation firm that handles copyright cases for Orange County and Los Angeles companies in the Central District of California, because copyright claims belong in federal court. For Orange County businesses that means the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Santa Ana. Registration is required before suing, and statutory damages range from $750 to $30,000 per work.

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

Copyright services for Orange County businesses

Enforcement. Claims against competitors, former contractors, and online sellers who copy product photographs, catalog layouts, website text, software code, training materials, architectural plans, or product designs.

Defense. Representation of businesses that receive a copyright demand letter, often over a photograph used on a website or a social media account, and of businesses sued for infringement by a competitor or a former vendor.

Ownership disputes. Fights over who owns the work: a logo created by a freelancer without a written assignment, software written by a contractor, or content produced by a departed co-founder. These are often contract cases first and copyright cases second.

Marketplace and platform takedowns. Notices to online marketplaces and hosting providers, and counter-notices when a client's listing has been wrongly removed.

Licensing disputes over copyrighted content, including software and photography licenses that were exceeded or terminated.

Three copyright problems from Orange County businesses

A Newport Beach furniture company spends months producing a photographed catalog. A competitor in the same shopping center lifts forty of the images for its own website and a paid social campaign. The photographs are registrable, the copying is exact, and the question is whether the works were registered before the infringement began, which determines whether statutory damages and fees are available.

An Irvine marketing agency receives a letter from a rights enforcement company demanding several thousand dollars for a stock photograph a junior employee placed on a client's blog three years ago. The letter cites a registration and threatens suit. Some of these demands are legitimate and some are inflated. The response depends on the registration date, the license history, and the actual use.

A Lake Forest software company discovers that a former contractor has launched a competing product with code that matches its own, including the same comments and the same mistakes. That is a copyright case and possibly a trade secret case, and the contractor agreement decides who owned the code in the first place.

Registration, timing, and what they decide

Two rules shape nearly every copyright case.

The first is that registration is a prerequisite to suit. For a United States work, no civil action for infringement can be instituted until the Copyright Office has registered or preregistered the claim, or refused a properly filed application. (17 U.S.C. § 411(a).) Expedited registration is available for a fee when litigation is imminent. We file the application before the demand letter goes out whenever we can.

The second is that the timing of registration determines the remedies. A copyright owner may elect statutory damages instead of actual damages and profits, in a range of $750 to $30,000 per work as the court considers just, and up to $150,000 per work if the infringement was willful. (17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1), (2).) The court may also award costs and a reasonable attorney's fee to the prevailing party. (17 U.S.C. § 505.) Those remedies depend on when the work was registered relative to the infringement, which is why we ask for the registration dates before anything else.

A civil action must be commenced within three years after the claim accrued. (17 U.S.C. § 507(b).)

Our copyright registration guide explains the filing process.

Where Orange County copyright cases are heard

When the defendant can be sued in this district, copyright infringement cases for Orange County businesses are filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division. The courthouse is the Ronald Reagan Federal Building, 411 West Fourth Street, Santa Ana. Related state claims, such as breach of a license agreement or unfair competition, are usually joined in the same federal case.

Federal court means federal procedure: early disclosures, a scheduling order with firm dates, and a judge who manages the case closely. That tends to make copyright cases move faster than state court business cases.

The Orange County businesses we represent

Photographers, designers, and creative agencies in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Furniture, apparel, and consumer product companies with photographed catalogs. Software and app developers in Irvine. Architects and builders with plan sets. Marketing agencies and their clients on the receiving end of demand letters.

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

One attorney handles the matter. I review the works, the registrations, and the evidence of copying myself. Where ownership is in question, I read the contractor or employment agreements first, because a missing assignment clause can end a case before it starts.

Many copyright disputes resolve without a lawsuit: a demand letter with the registration and side-by-side comparisons attached, a takedown notice, or a negotiated license. On the defense side, a factual response that corrects the sender's assumptions resolves a good share of demand letters. When the case must be filed, we file in Santa Ana with the registration in hand. Our copyright case study describes how one such matter unfolds.

What to bring to the first meeting

The original works and the dates they were created and first published. Registration certificates or application numbers. The agreements with whoever created the work, including freelancer and contractor agreements. Dated screenshots or copies of the infringing use. Any license you granted or received for the work. If you received a demand letter, the letter, the registration it cites, and the history of how the work came to be on your site.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sue for copyright infringement in Orange County Superior Court?

No. Copyright claims are exclusively federal. (28 U.S.C. § 1338(a).) For an Orange County business the case is filed in the Central District of California in Santa Ana. State claims that go with the copyright claim, such as breach of a license, can be joined in the federal case.

I received a copyright demand letter for a photo on my website. Do I have to pay?

Not automatically. Check whether the sender owns the work and registered it, whether the amount demanded bears any relation to a real license fee, and whether the use was licensed through a stock service or a web developer. Many of these demands settle for far less than the letter asks, and some have no basis. Our demand letter page covers the first steps.

How much can I recover for copyright infringement?

Either your actual damages plus the infringer's profits, or statutory damages of $750 to $30,000 per work, rising to $150,000 per work for willful infringement, at the court's discretion. (17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(1), (2).) Statutory damages and attorney fees generally require timely registration, which is why the registration date matters so much.

Do I need to register before suing for copyright infringement?

Yes, for a United States work. The Copyright Office must have registered, preregistered, or refused the claim before the case is filed. (17 U.S.C. § 411(a).) Registering routinely, before any dispute, preserves the statutory damages and fee remedies.

Do you handle copyright cases for Irvine businesses specifically?

Yes. Our office is in Irvine, and many of our copyright clients are Irvine software, design, and marketing companies. The courthouse is the same for every Orange County business, the Reagan Federal Building in Santa Ana, about twenty minutes from the Irvine Spectrum.

Talk to an Orange County 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 businesses throughout Orange County.

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