WHAT IS A COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
A poem, short tale, music, choreography, artwork, photo, and other intellectual works are only a few examples of creative works that are inherently protected by copyright. This indicates that the exclusive right to copy, distribute, display, modify, adapt, and derive from one’s own work belongs to the creator, author, or artist of those works. Intellectual property, or “IP,” is a concept at the root of copyright protection.
The violation of someone’s intellectual property is known as copyright infringement (IP). It is another word for piracy or stealing someone else’s original work, particularly when the thief keeps the proceeds and not the original artist.
You must first be aware of a copyright holder’s rights and restrictions in order to comprehend copyright infringement. You may copy and distribute someone else’s work without actually breaking any laws or infringing anyone’s rights, therefore you are not held legally responsible. Even if you didn’t know you were stealing from the owner or had no intention of doing so, you could still face legal action.
Copyright is primarily intended to encourage and compensate creators for sharing their original works. Creators of protected content can make money off of it and get credit for their work. In addition, they have the final say in how their work is published, distributed, altered, derivated, broadcast, streamed, or shown.
With exclusive rights, artists may be inspired to produce additional works to share with the world. As a result, because their labour may be helpful for improving the quality of their own lives, the general public may also profit from it.
However, authors are not required to make their work accessible to the public. Even so, unpublished works are safeguarded by the same copyright regulations. Additionally, it is not necessary for creators to register their works with the US. Office for Copyright. They can obtain copyright protection without adding a copyright notice or symbol to their work, and doing so won’t diminish the value of their original creation.
Work that is protected by copyright is subject to limitations and exceptions. A “Fair Use” clause in the law specifically permits the dissemination and reproduction of copyrighted content without the owner’s express permission.
The original work may be distributed without risk of legal ramifications if it is used to instruct, promote discussion and study, report on current events, or contribute to public discourse. In fair use, the owner’s rights and the public interest are balanced.
A typical example of copyright infringement is the use of music in your videos. If you have not obtained the permission to use a song as background music for your home movies, business presentations, or your own creative work, then you could be liable for copyright infringement. Video-sharing sites like YouTube and Facebook actively flag down or mute songs and music for copyright violation. Some creators put their work online to be downloaded for a fee. But it is a copyright violation to download a movie, TV show, music, software or e-book from a website that is not owned by the creator. Usually, these non-authorized sites also automatically prompt you to share the same material to others. So, you are redistributing copyrighted content against the owner’s wishes with or without your knowledge.
Some artists make their work available for purchase and download online. However, downloading a movie, TV show, piece of music, piece of software, or an e-book from a website that is not the creator’s is a copyright violation. These unofficial websites frequently want you to automatically share the same content with others. Therefore, whether knowingly or not, you are disseminating copyrighted content against the owner’s interests.
NB: This article is not a legal advice, and under no circumstance should you take it as such. All information provided are for general purpose only. For information, please contact chamanlawfirm@gmail.com
WRITTEN BY CHAMAN LAW FIRM TEAM
EMAIL: chamanlawfirm@gmail.com
TEL: 08065553671, 08024230080