Article in Content Creation

Copyright issues, and lawsuits for that matter, see to spring up everyday in the growing webmaster world - sometimes founded, sometimes unfounded. This article will provide you with the basic issues involved with copyright. Keep in mind this article is more directed at the end user, the viewer of the content rather than the creator. Regardless, it’s best to know the basics of when you can use stuff and when you can’t. Many people online seem to think that anything they can find online is free for use - this is not so, and must be known. Most things are just the opposite, and unless specifically stated they can be used, they cannot be used. Everything written or created is copyrighted for the most part; this includes, but is not limited to articles, graphics and website source codes. This is true even if there is no copyright text visible.

If you’re a user and would like to use the work in question, it’s very easy to simply ask for permission to use it. It’s not very hard and only takes a few minutes. Some of the creators of the work will simply say know, but many are honored that you’d like to use their work, and allow you to do so. I’ve found that the vast majority of people, writers, artists and so forth, all want to get their work out there. You just cannot make the mistake of assuming this for the minority. In most cases it is acceptable to include a few sentences and cite the work.

For those of you unfamiliar of what exactly “copyright” is, below is a brief basic summary:

Copyright is the “right” that is held by a specific person or corporation for specific ideas or information. It’s really, so to speak, the “right to copy” someone’s creation. Copyright is applicable to all sorts of works and creations including, but not limited to: poems, writing, articles, stories, movies, programs, recordings, compositions, paintings, artwork, photographs, radio and television shows and other forms of art and design. If you own the copyright to a particular thing in question, you “own” the “property” so to speak It is similar to you owning any other piece of property, only in this case it is a usage right rather than a physical good.

Copyright law varies from region to region and country to country, but most countries have strong punishments for copyright infringement, often including a large fine and sometimes even jail time Be sure to check out the copyright laws related to your residing country.

There are also various forms of copyright that a person can hold. You can sell the rights for a timeframe, give people partial rights, shared rights, as well as many other sorts of rights. Because of this, more research is highly recommended. Just be aware of what you’re doing when you’re online and the possibility that you may be in breech of copyright law. This is not good, and is taken very seriously. Moreover, be sure of your rights on your own work, or you may just loose them.