Anyone seeking to publish
creative works on the Internet may have legitimate concern about copyright
protection of intellectual property. As the Internet continues to grow
globally, infringement issues may arise, so understanding what intellectual
property is and how to use it is important.
What is intellectual property?
Canadian Intellectual Property
Office suggests that intellectual
property is “legal rights
that result from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary
and artistic fields”.
Publishers, web site designers,
professional content producers and photographers are concerned about using the
Internet and ask, “Are my rights protected on the Internet?”
What are rights, or more
specifically, what is a copyright as it relates to others?
The Canadian Intellectual Property
Office states, “In the simplest terms, ‘copyright’ means ‘the right to copy’.
In general, only the copyright owner, often the creator of the work is allowed
to produce or reproduce the work or to permit anyone else to do so.”
Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous
people who do not seek permission to use the intellectual property of others
and thus protection is important.
How can you protect
your copyright?
“Although copyright in a work
exists automatically when an original work is created, a certificate of
registration is evidence that your creation is protected by copyright and that
you, the person registered, are the owner.”
Having to pay fees for copyright
registration may serve as a deterrent, but for anyone seriously interested in
doing so, there is information available regarding the cost, on the following
web page.
What does all of this mean to
those who want to use the work of others?
If a person, group or business
uses a creative work created by or belonging to someone else, or others on the
Internet, this is equivalent to stealing that creative work. This happens all
of the time, as those seeking to further their own ends often do not have
permission to use it or if they do, do not credit the owner. Income that
otherwise would be derived from that work does not go to the owner, as there is
the incorrect assumption that whoever publishes it on the Internet owns it and
thus is entitled to receive payment for it. At times, it may generate
additional income as well, particularly when other potential publisher or
editors decide to use it, too.
How can you rightfully use the
work of others and thus avoid copyright infringement?
Seeking permission to use
another’s work is always important. Most people who own creative work of
various kinds will grant others permission to use their work, conditional upon
the proper acknowledgement of the source. Others who own creative work do not
want their work published by others and have the right to refuse permission to
have it published on the Internet.
Discretion is always extremely
important when it comes to intellectual property. When there is a question
about copyright or copyright infringement, this can result in legal issues, so
use the creative work of others wisely and be careful with your own.
No comments:
Post a Comment