There are at least two types of copyright protection I'm aware of, and this is how I understand how they work:
1) A default copyright that goes into effect the moment the artist creates a final work.
With the default copyright, if someone is found guilty of using another artist's image without permission, that person is responsible for fines and fees determined by the court, in addition to any financial benefit the guilty party earned in the sale of the artist's image.
2) Artist files their piece with the US Copyright Office for $45 for more extensive protection.
For images filed with the US Copyright Office (ie: Disney characters, Beatrix Potter characters, etc.), if someone if found guilty, the court can impose an automatic $100,000 judgement against the guilty party, which gets paid to the original artist/copyright holder, in addition to any financial beneift the guilty party earned in the sale of the artist's image.
Please correct me if I'm wrong in my understanding.
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