Monday, January 24, 2011

Copyright - The Importance of It by Sharon Slater

Why the importance?

In the World today, we have those who give and those who take and not forgetting the variables in between. We have Extreme thieves who steal, we also have the petty criminals who rob and again the variables in between. We have original brand labels, and very convincing copyright labels and again those variables in between. The list goes on and on and...

Unfortunately as most of us know the same goes on with written information online. However the sheer volume and spectrum of that activity is mind blowing and quite often overlooked. Never underestimate the volume of content theft.

This is what happens.

Take your new website for example. The website creation and what you write may be formatted and presented and created in your own original way. It is personal to you and comes from the heart and in your opinion it belongs to you as it is your creative work whether that comes naturally or you have to work at it, it is still your work. You may create links of course to various locations online (referrals) you may even quote articles, and occasionally copy and paste an article or part of to illustrate something but you will and should always include the original source, author.

You should of course never make that work look your own.

Using an extreme case I know, but your work is as important to you as say JK Rowling's work is to her.

Bills little light shop business is as important to him as Lord Allan Sugars Business is as important to him, and Alice who has worked hard for everything she owns and sits in her flat is as important to her to say Lady Champ who has worked hard for her car collection and estate she owns.

Moving on....

I will now give you an example of what could happen to you and will use Alice and yourself to see similarities.

Someone steals a little bit of your work. They have may not take everything and may not be in the same Industry and not in direct competition with you in any way, shape or form nor are they claiming to be you or using your name under their work, but the fact is they have still stolen something from you.

In comparison...

Alice gets broken into and comes home and finds her microwave missing. She looks around the flat and sees that nothing else is missing. She is annoyed and feels violated. She worked hard for that microwave but realizes she is lucky because nothing else was taken. She is annoyed with herself because she knew she should have shut her kitchen window properly but she did not imagine someone would break into her flat. She later found out it was some petty thief. She is annoyed but she gets things into perspective and makes sure she never leaves the window open again and she also goes and buys an intruder alarm and a few more locks. She places what she considers her valuable items and hides them away.(she understands this may not prevent it from happening again but she has made it harder for them) She then continues with her life. Lesson learnt move on and don't dwell on the past just put it down to experience.

Going back to your stolen site content. Most of us fully understand that as soon as you submit something to the Internet it becomes available for millions to use and abuse for whatever reason, but most of us also know that there are ways and methods of protecting it and claiming it as your content but many have the attitude of do that tomorrow, combined with is it needed yet. Of course tomorrow does not come and it is only when this happens do you do something about it such as copyright and Extra security etc. (shutting the stable door spring to mind?) of course that does not mean to say it will not happen again but at least you have taken some action.

The fact is there are a lot of people without a creative bone in their body but we must appreciate this is the real world and many don't.

Intentional theft is worse than non intentional theft. probably wrong in quoting this but I think its called (malice aforethought?), we must be aware that many do not understand they are actually stealing your content.

Anyway like I said, this is a topic of conversation is highly debatable. I read somewhere someone who is very successful in what she does say this. If someone steals your work online do not get too personal, remain professional. If it has a direct impact on your work then pursue it, it is not as hard as what people think. However if it has no impact on your work then move on and take it as a compliment.

I would agree with that. I also read that whatever work you do online it is not a matter of if you experience this but it is a matter of when you experience this.

Take measures now to try and prevent this from happening to you.

Get your online worked copyright protected. Now!

Of course this above illustration is just one of millions and millions of situations!

You can only imagine what really goes on! In fact I really don't want to think about it.

Sharon Slater
http://www.dimnity.com

Printed Material Is Protected From Photocopying by Copyright But There Are Exemptions

By Ali Withers

Copyright law is complex and since the most recent UK legislation in 1988 has been regularly amended basically any material in print and on the internet is protected from being copied or reproduced and the writer has Intellectual Property Rights to protect them.

This protection also applies to music scores and visual images and the point is to protect the originator of the work, who earns their living from what they produce.

This might cause problems for both students and teachers in schools, colleges and universities, where budgets are limited and providing reference books for each student would be very expensive.

Many educators rely on photocopied materials as part of the materials they need to give students for lessons and in further education students, too, rely on references for written coursework. No college library is likely to have more than a few copies of any reference book, which can be a problem if there are many students needing to refer to them.

There is a system of licensing for educational establishments to allow photocopies to be made covering both printed material and scans and copies of online material. The examples that follow are extracts only and users should check the complete licence for what is permitted and what is not.

The licensing system is run by the Copyright Licensing Agency and is called the CLA Schools Licence, which allows photocopying from printed books, journals, and magazines as well as making digital copies from online material or photocopying and scanning printouts of digital material.

Among the issues covered by the Licence are defined limits to the amount of material that can be copied and printed out which are:

1. One complete chapter from a book
2. One article from a journal or magazine
3. One short story or poem not more than 10 pages in length
4. The entire report of a single legal case
5. Or 5% of the publication if greater than above

The licence does not include printed music, including the words, newspapers, workbooks and some correspondence courses as well as any publications that include a notice that they are prohibited from being copied under a CLA licence.

There are limits also on how many copies can be made and for whom. They should only be enough for the teacher and the numbers of pupils in the class if being used for teaching. They should only be available to students, teachers, parents and governors.

Most university libraries have a notice of the rules and regulations regarding photocopyingand copyright alongside their photocopiers to help users to know what they can and cannot do.

Regarding quoting from other people's material, the 1988 Copyright Act contains a clause, called Fair Dealing, that states that copyright is not infringed if material being quoted or used is for research or private study, criticism or review or for reporting current events.

Copyright (c) 2011 Alison Withers

This article looks at the issues of copyright law and copying materials for educational purposes. Ali Withers writes on behalf of Firstcopy, Cambridge, suppliers of printers and copiers throughout East Anglia.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Online Copyright Rule Crackdown For Online Writers - Expect It by Lance Winslow

Online Article Writers should be paying attention to the new Internet Copyright Rules we are all expecting in the future to head-off any potential future issues in that regard. You see, it seems that the "fair use" copyright rules, have been stretched over the years online especially with 'news aggregators' and online videos, and yes, those who engage in re-writing news articles too. So, I for one expect more scrutiny in this, and expect online article directory sites to heed the warnings and writing on the wall.

Congress has been taking notes, so too has the FTC, their news media lobbyists have been fighting for changes and a crackdown on internet content pilferage. Whereas, most online article writers are honest and do not engage in plagiarism, or content theft, we all know there are those who have, and perhaps as an online article writer you've even had some of your content stolen, and it irks you to no end. It is completely frustrating indeed, you know you cannot track these people down.

This is what the news outlets are going through, and many of them are barely hanging on financially, this is a huge crisis, and not just in the US, many of the content thieves come from other nations, who do not have such rules or if they do, they certainly aren't ever enforced, and yet, the Internet is World Wide now.

How much stress will this put on online article directory sites?

Well, not much on the good ones with strong editorial guidelines, for those in my estimation, for the most part safe in this issue, due to their focus, expert authors, and editorial posting rules. Still, this future challenge should be in the back of their minds because this will be a real future issue. Also, I'd say in the end such new copyright rules could become a plus for us authors who occasionally find their material and articles ripped off and posted on other websites, some of which use scraper strategies to lift content from other websites.

If you are a high-profile online article writer, these changes will affect you. If you've been copying content, you are liable to be banned from the sites you post on, and some of the less-than-quality sites may just disappear overnight if they have too much plagiarized content, don't be surprised when and if these things happen.

Best advice is to only post content on quality article directory sites. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes it's hard to write 20,000 articles; http://www.bloggingcontent.net/

Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers.

How Can I Transfer A Copyright? by Greg L Stevens

For those who are unsure about if it is a possibility to change the name on a U.S. copyright, the answer's yes, and copyright laws are put together so that it really is rather hassle-free to achieve. Indeed, a lot of people convert their own copyrights to get used by a few other persons and businesses. This will give you to be paid royalty payments or chief percentage for any of the chance to use your output.

How can you exchange your national copyright?

According to U.S. copyright laws, to pass on the control of a copyright, you have got to describe the switch on paper. An effective way of doing this is with the assistance of a national copyright law firm. Your lawyer can discuss with you what's important about the characteristics of the transaction, and help to set up the paperwork. The written file needs to have a signature of the transfer or, whomever originally held the copyright. There's no general official document for this operation, but it needs to involve:

- An in-depth explanation of the copyright-protected asset that is getting shifted;
- The names of the people or agencies that are included in the contract; and
- The stipulations and legal rights that are set up about the shift of the copyright.

The copyright owner ought to then present the papers to the US Copyright Office. Even though this entry is not called for legally, it should retain a file of the dealing, and works to shield the legal rights of the groups associated. In the event you need assistance completing this task, you should find the experienced assistance of a national copyright lawyer.

How about licensing a copyright?

The relocation of a copyright doesn't necessarily indicate the long-term exchange of privileges. In reality, the length of time of the deal, along with other particulars, depend upon the characteristics of your agreement. You could transfer the rights for any time frame, and under any set occasions.

A proven way of giving limited rights to a copyright is by way of a licensing arrangement. This will determine the conditions, the time-span, and the frequency of payment for a copyright. The only authentic conditions are those which were decided amongst the licensor and licensee. These can involve the rights to factors such as image reproduction, circulation and spin off features. Licensing deals assist you to sustain charge and possession of your copyright, while licensee can apply your property inside the stipulations of the arrangement.

If you need assistance with your copyright transfer, consult an experienced California copyright lawyer. A knowledge LA copyright attorney is familiar with the laws related to intellectual property and can assist you with all the necessary paperwork, advise you on your contract, and see that both parties are satisfied with the results.

Monday, January 10, 2011

What Can I Do About Copyright Infringement?

By Greg L Stevens

If you register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, you're protecting your legal rights to the utilization of the copyrighted content. It indicates that any use of your copyrighted content has to have your authorization or it's regarded as a breach of copyright laws. Intellectual property law is usually challenging, and the aid of a copyright lawyer is highly recommended.

What, precisely, is viewed as copyright infringement? Whenever you obtain the copyright for any content, you're issued the legal permission: create more copies using the work; put together derivative works relating to the original concept or content; release copies of the work to the public whether by selling, rental, lease or lending; perform your creative efforts in a theater or festival; exhibit the protected content in a public place; and transmit the material to the public by using a radio station, TV, movies or the net.

Whenever another person carries out any of these practices using your copyrighted work while not having your express permission, they are taking part in a breach of copyright law. United States Copyright Law states that "anyone who violates any of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner is an infringer of the copyright or right of the author." Even while there are some exceptions to infringement accountability, copyright law protects you from the vast majority of instances of copyright infringement. When you're struggling with questions pertaining to your rights and security through the laws, you should review your case with your patent/trademark/copyright attorney.

How does someone deal with a potential copyright infringement claim? If you ever are convinced your legal rights were infringed upon, make sure you obtain the recommendations of a copyright attorney at once. The United States Copyright Office is not counted upon to impose regulations, neither does it warn copyright keepers of potential copyright violation. You must discover the examples of this on your own and afterward pursue the case in federal court.

There are particular policies around the time schedule in which your copyright was granted. In some instances, if a copyright registration has not yet been submitted, you might still have the option to do this and then carry out the legal process. According to when exactly an intellectual property owner files their copyright submission, they could be eligible for statutory damages and attorney expenses.

For assistance with your potential infringement claim, consult a knowledgeable Arlington infringement lawyer. An experienced Virginia copyright attorney can investigate the claim, advise you accordingly, and fight for your rights in court.

Artist Copyright Rights by Darrel Tank

The use of other's printed and copyrighted photos or art is a huge problem. It may be tempting to use something from a magazine or advertisement that inspires you, and you're allowed, if it is just for your own viewing and practice. It is, however, illegal to sell, print, use for display in any kind of public showing, or give the impression that it is your art in any way, without express written permission from the original creator of that source.

This doesn't mean that you can't use the idea as inspiration for shooting your own reference photograph-when you do shoot your own reference, it is automatically protected from other's using it as well.

Beyond creating your own reference material, it has been getting easier to find royalty free material to use on the Internet. Additionally, other artwork and photography that the copyright has expired on and that are now considered a part of the public domain can be found through the Library of Congress.

However, as an artist, I recommend that you make the effort to have all of your artwork and material officially copyrighted through the Library of Congress-this gives you additional protection and the rights to claim damages, claim profits made through the use and infringement of your artwork, as well as any court costs incurred in pursuing your case.

I encourage everyone to make sure they have gotten the necessary permission or made sure it is their own reference before doing something for any kind of display. This is a good habit to get into, because a drawing that you thought was just for practice, or for our own use, may turn out to be something that you are particularly proud of and would like to publicly use, publish, or even sell.

As an artist, I see that many people around the world have used my artwork without permission, taken my name off of it and/or the copyright notice-then claimed they had no idea who did the work, or they claim that it was in the public domain. It's frustrating for the artist, to say the least.

Looking at catalogs, books, magazines and other's artwork can be great for inspiration and a terrific source for ideas. There are a set number of changes that you can make to consider it your own artwork, but this is both subjective and tricky-therefore I feel more comfortable creating my own reference. That way, every single facet of my art is my creation and I do not have any worries. It's always better to be safe that sorry!

Darrel Tank has helped thousands of students learn to draw realistically with his unique 5-Pencil Method.

Get your 3 hours of free drawing tutorials at http://www.fivepencilmethod.com/free-drawing-tutorials/.

Copyright and Using Images on Your Website and Blog Posts

By Sharon Sayler

A visual can sure add a lot of impact to a website or your blog. It can give an immediate "ah-ha" to the reader and attract attention to your articles. Adding an image or creative work to your web page or post can make a big difference on the impact of your message. Images do grab readers' attention, but be careful, you can't use just any image... Using a copyrighted image without permission from the creator of the work or the copyright holder is copyright infringement. This article is a short introduction to copyright and creative images. Please check with an intellectual property attorney for more specifics and to answer your specific questions about copyrights and creative works.

You can't just use any image you find and like in blog posts, on your web site or in printed material. The law automatically grants full "copyright" over any creative work a person makes. This includes any creative work such as drawings, photos and text. Copyrights are applied to all intellectual property such as books, websites, blogs, photographs, audio and video recordings, e.g. songs, music and YouTube videos too. When choosing a creative work to use, make sure that it has a creative common license, a full-usage, licensed or granted usage, or is royalty-free. All have limitations and, except for full-usage, rarely grant complete usage rights. Ask for a copy of the usage license rights and restrictions before purchasing or using an image. Many places like Fotosearch.com and PhotoDisc.com have the licenses they use posted on their sites.

Images marked as "All Rights Reserved" are copyrighted and require permission from their creator. Images marked as "Some Rights Reserved" have a creative commons license applied. There are several types of creative commons licenses. Each license imposes different restrictions on how you use the images. There are four main types of creative common licenses, "Attribution," "Share Alike," "Noncommercial," "No Derivative Works." Each of the four categories has a variety of license types for different usages, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ to learn more.

Creative Commons is an organization that provides free content licenses that the person developing the creative piece can apply to their work. ( http://creativecommons.org/license/ ) The artists that choose to use this license are giving people permission to use the licensed piece without having to ask permission, provided they use it in the manner stated in the Creative Common License. Read each Creative Common License carefully as they do vary.

When using an image with a creative commons license, it is important to note the attribution with the image; e.g., Photo by John Smith licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. Check with the creator of the image or the website that you get the image from, e.g. Flickr, for guidelines. This will ensure you are compliant with copyright requirements and give credit where credit is due.

This article is not meant to be legal advice and you are encouraged to further educate yourself about copyright and the implications to your site. Copyright laws vary internationally.

Sharon Sayler shows people simple, powerful, easy to learn ways they can gain the nonverbal advantage in important situations such as court appearances, job interviews, negotiations... anywhere where the outcome is critical. Signup to get your Communications Success Package including: -- Her popular Tips, Scripts and Must Do's To Create Instant Rapport with Just About Anyone -- A free chapter from What Your Body Says (and how to master the message) -- A special report on How to Avoid the 3 Biggest Body Language Mistakes - in under 10 Minutes! Plus weekly bonus how-to videos and tips to immediately increase your impact and influence.Run over to http://www.WhatYourBodySays.com to get yours now.