Copyright Infringement

Let's imagine for a minute that you are cruising on the Internet and you find something that you would like to have on your computer. Do you have any idea how easy it is to keep a copy of it on your computer? As you are probably aware, all you have to do is right click the highlighted text and save it to your computer. Before you do this though you should consider what your future plans for that information are. There is a possibility that you could be committing a serious crime! If you are planning to use someone else's work and submit it as your own, you are committing copyright infringement.

What is copyright infringement? Copyright is the unauthorized use of any written or verbalized material that is considered to be under the ownership of someone else. In short, anytime that you are using material that is not yours without the permission of the material owner, you are executing copyright infringement. This also includes illegal downloading, file sharing, "burning", or recording of copyrighted material.

So what are the penalties of copyright infringement? When the owner of material finds out that you have illegally used their material, they can bring a lawsuit on you. If you are found guilty of copyright infringement the court may issue an order for on you to stop producing that material, getting rid of the illegally produced material, and also to pay the owner of the copyright any monies received that the accused may have made in selling the illegal material as well as paying all attorney fees. Depending on what was being illegally used, these costs could be very expensive!

How can you legally use copyrighted material without creating a copyright infringement? Your first step would be to be sure to, "give credit where credit is due." If it is a report or an informational article, be sure to cite the text it was borrowed from. You need to give the author credit for his work and follow the correct rules in doing so. You could also contact the material owner directly. If they do decide to grant you permission, make sure to request the agreement in writing. This way you will protect yourself if any problems with copyright infringement should arise in the future. Always be sure to cover your back, or you could be facing legal trouble.

There is material available to you that you are free to use. This material is called "public domain". Public domain refers to material and items that are not covered by copyright laws; therefore you will not need to worry about requesting permission to use it. Copyrights used to last for 28 years and could then be extended for another 47 years before the year 1978. After the year 1978; a copyright is good for the entire lifetime of the writer and plus another 70 years beyond their death. It is always best to check any work you wish to use for copyright licenses before using, to avoid potential infringement of laws.