Digital Marketing

How to avoid copyright infringement

Copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets are ways people can protect their intellectual property. However, there are key differences in each of the protection instruments with respect to what exactly they protect.

One of the most used tools in intellectual property cases is Copyright. According to the government copyright office, it protects “original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture.” However, it does not protect “…facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation.” In layman’s terms, most of the time you’ll see a “C” in a circle (which stands for copyright) in a book, on a CD, in video games, and even in game scripts.

This form of copyright law is designed to safeguard the creator. Consumers like you could be at risk of copyright infringement without even knowing it. For this reason, it’s good to read about how to follow the rules when it comes to using © stamped work. It is important to note that even if a work does not declare the copyright symbol, it may still be protected by law. legal zoom describes the idea behind copyright by writing, “the author or creator owns the rights to the work and can decide if and how others use their creation.” It is especially illegal if you were to use someone else’s copyrighted work for profit or commercial gain. legal zoom it also lists some examples of copyright infringement that may seem harmless to consumers, but are actually illegal.

  • Download movies and music without proper payment for their use
  • Film recording in the theater.
  • Using others’ photos for a blog without permission
  • Copy software without giving proper credit
  • Creation of videos with music clips without a license
  • Copy books, blogs or podcasts without permission
  • Anything where you are copying someone else’s original work without an agreement

If you’ve ever scrolled through YouTube, you’ve probably come across an amateur singer performing a cover of a well-known song. If that hobbyist artist didn’t get permission from the original composer, it’s technically copyright infringement. Will a big celebrity file a lawsuit over a singer’s video with 10 views? Probably not, but technically you could. Big companies sometimes use software that can troll the internet with the main purpose of looking for copyright infringement cases, so taking the risk is not a good idea.

To avoid copyright infringement altogether, you need to be concerned about how you are using an artistic expression that you did not create. Regardless of whether you see the copyright symbol or not, you should always assume that the owner will take legal action against you if you freely use their work without permission or credit.

Some artists or writers are actually more than willing to share their work with the world, but do your research first. These types of agreements come in the form of licenses, which allow consumers to use the work with specific regulations and stipulations attached.

If you’re using the work for educational purposes, there’s no need to stay up at night worrying about the image you used in your slideshow last week. There is an exception called “fair use,” which allows what would normally be an infringement if the use were for a non-commercial reason.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *