“COPY THAT!”

                                           

                                          Safeguarding Against Copyright Infringement

 

            Isn’t it enough we spend months, days, hours composing what may become a life’s work? Only to have some sticky-fingered thief try and steal it right from under your nose.

It happens, folks, more than what you realize. Even in this technological age, something of this magnitude occurs daily.

Image and text copyright are the two common types associated with copyright infringement.

Even those who protect their work diligently from interlopers have committed the same offense unknowingly when they use images without permission. If you’ve downloaded or saved any image and later shared it on social media or penned it on Pinterest, consider yourself guilty as charged.

It’s just that easy, even if not intentional—however, despite the steep penalty of 30,000 and upward for infringement violation, it doesn’t stop this from occurring.

No one is safe from predatory actions. Artists across the board have sued due to some form of copyright infringement.

Once you consider how easy it is to steal another’s work, you should use a proactive approach to theft prevention. Proving the theft in some cases is more complicated than prevention.

However, here are a few preventative measures to ensure your work is protected. 

Rule 1: Never take anything for granted. Although the work bears your name doesn’t mean it’s safe from potential violators even if the U.S. Copyright Office states that it is protected from the moment of creation. Well, tell that to the number of individuals suing for copyright infringement.

2.      Register your work. For more info, contact the U.S. copyright office @https://www.copyright.gov.

Per the U.S. Copyright Office explains what copyright is and states that copyright “is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished work. “ That includes literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture from the moment it is created. However, it doesn’t include facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “What Works Are Protected.”

3.      Never submit a manuscript to suspect publishers or producers. It’s not uncommon, and many artists have sued to regain the rights to their work after years of battling the offense through legal action.

4.      Watermarking your images will protect your work against those tempted to use it without permission.

5.      Branding by way of logos associated with your content, which includes websites, blog posts shared across social media platforms.

6.      Site the information to avoid Plagiarism. That gives credit for the info used if not gained by permission.  

Every artist deserves respect and credit for all their hard work. Let’s respect the rights of all parties by doing our part to ensure and protect from all forms of copyright infringement.