THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE

                                   Protecting Yourself against Copyright Infringement

                                            Matthew 6:19 and 6:20 King James

19: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth

and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor

rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Okay so we’re not coming from a biblical principle today, although it certainly qualifies as sound logic regarding topic of conversation. Even if we’re not talking protecting your cash, diamonds, furs and other valuables, the subject matter is still important.

Pirating isn’t just relegated to Disney Franchises and old swashbuckler movies. We see and hear about these sorts of cases every day.  From blockbuster movies streaming across the internet and other devices and music, sampled to death illegally.  Strangely enough, we tend to leave books from the list of stolen goods. However, they are among the most sought-after treasures that book thieves search for.  I see it quite frequently across the different social media sights. Most potential poets and writers never suspect a thing when they post poems and short essays for the world to see.  I enjoy reading them and so are many others.

While the unsuspecting authors of these noteworthy accomplishments only wish to share their work with the world. There are thieves waiting for them to do so, to steal and claim it as theirs.  Hogwash, you say.  No one actually does things like that. Well, I’m here to tell you, they do. The reason this criminal activity goes unchallenged is that the originators remain unaware. Plagiarism is ubiquitous throughout the world.  We often don’t view using information for whatever the purpose might be as such.

I remember in high school assignments in English or History that required writing a biography about an important historical figure of my choosing. To aid me on my quest, I obtained my information straight from encyclopedia’s (we didn’t have the internet back then). I had no clue that this was plagiarism and copyright infringement.  They are the same; both are using information without giving credit to the original author.  

This is the definition of copyright infringement. Just so you know: “Copyright infringement is the use of works protected by copyrightlaw without permission, infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works.”

What most artist don’t realize is that there are laws to protect their treasured works of art called Copyrighting. Most all copyrights are issued through the United States Copyright office, protected, and stored by the Library of Congress. 

This is a direct quote of when and why the entity was established.

“The United States Copyright Office, and the position of Register of Copyrights, were created by Congress in 1897.  The Register directs the Copyright Office as a separate federal department within the Library of Congress, under the general oversight of the Librarian, pursuant to specific statutory authorities set forth in the United States Copyright Act. Earlier in the Nation’s history, from 1870-1896, the Librarian of Congress administered copyright registration (at that time mostly books) directly, and earlier still, from 1790-1896, U.S. district courts were responsible for doing so. Today, the Copyright Office is responsible for administering a complex and dynamic set of laws, which include registration, the recordation of title and licenses, a number of statutory licensing provisions, and other aspects of the 1976 Copyright Act and the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. By statute, the Register of Copyrights is the principal advisor to Congress on national and international copyright matters, testifying upon request and providing ongoing leadership and impartial expertise on copyright law and policy.” This quote is directly from the overview of the copyright office.

Now if I were dishonest I’d let anyone hearing or reading this believe I wrote it. This is how easy it is to steal another’s work and claim it as your own. I understand most people are unaware that copying and pasting material from the web and other places isn’t a big deal. However, borrowing without asking permission and giving credit to the originator of articles, books, whatever the case might be is copyright infringement and against the law.

I often advice friends and family who display their creations for the world to see, always protect your work. Listed below are ways to do this. For more information about How to Avoid Copyright Infringement | LegalZoom visit https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/how-to-avoid-copyright-infringement.

This site explains everything you need to know the subject.  I realized how important it is to share this information with you as a writer/author.  Coming up with new ideas for telling and writing stories can sometime be challenging. Once you meet the demands and display your hard-earned work to the word, the last thing you need is someone else taking the credit for your accomplishments.

So be wise in all you do. Protect yourself, and your work from thieves who will work harder to steal you blind.