Copyright issues certainly aren’t new news, but they seem to be getting worse over the years thanks to the Internet. It is impossible for people to monitor the Internet constantly in order to make sure that their work is not being stolen and used illegally online, so there are many cases of copyright infringement on the Internet each day. Although you might get away with copyright infringement for a long time before you actually get caught, you will more than likely have to face the consequences one day if you download or use things online without permission. Therefore, it is best to keep an eye on copyright laws in order to ensure that you aren’t doing anything illegal.
Copying Someone’s Work Online
If you have a website and come across a blog post or other online content that you think others would find useful, you might find yourself copying a bit of it to share with others. Even if you do not claim this work as your own, however, you could still be breaking the law. Therefore, it is important to be careful when it comes to copying other people’s work online. First of all, make sure to always cite your sources, and never use someone else’s word without explicitly stating that the work is not your own. Also, consider contacting the website or blog owner to ask for permission to share his or her work.
Sharing Photographs
One copyright issue that is highly prevalent online is copying and using photographs without the photographer’s permission. Although you might come across a funny picture that you want to share with someone else or if you find a piece of clip art that would work perfectly on your website, it isn’t acceptable to share these pictures unless you have express permission from the photographer to do so.
Downloading Music
Illegal music downloads have been an issue for years now, and the crime of stealing music on the Internet is no less serious now than it was when the issue first became news. There are a lot of websites and programmes that allow you to download music, but many of these websites are not legitimate or legal. Therefore, it is best to only download music from legal websites that you have either a paid subscription for or that you use to pay for each song. Other music downloads should be used with caution.
Downloading Movies
Just as it is illegal to download copyrighted music online, it is also illegal to do so with movies. Just because you find a website or programme that allows you to download these movies does not mean that you are legally allowed to, and streaming these movies is also illegal in many cases. Although it might seem like a good idea to get your favourite movies for free and to watch new films that haven’t even made it to theatres yet online, doing so can get you in a lot of trouble. It is best to do things the right way and to legally purchase this media in order to stay out of trouble.
Wayne is a casual writer specialising in business news and business-related legal issues. Wayne and his dad both work as accountants in South Sydney providing tax smart advices to his clients.