How to Respect Copyright Laws

The internet is the biggest threat to copyright protection. It is extremely easy to copy and paste a writing piece into a blog or website. However, the internet and copyright laws are no different than copyrights from a published book.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer knowledge
• Honesty and respect

1. We all love to surf the net. Information and resources are at our fingertips. However, when you come across an image or an article that you find interesting, hold off on clicking that mouse and do some research.

2. If you own a blog or website and you find an article that would benefit your readers, the first thing you should do is contact the author and see what their reprint guidelines are. If you choose not to contact the author, simply quote a small portion of the material and credit the author as well as providing a link to their website or blog. Never copy and paste an entire article of someone else's - this is plagiarism.

3. The same rules apply to images and photos. If the images are "free" that's one thing, but if they aren't free then don't use them. If you are unsure as to whether or not they can be used, simply provide the link where it originally came from.

4. The best thing you can do to have an amazing website and blog is to design your own images, write your own articles, take your own pictures, and make your site and blog unique. There is nothing wrong with sharing valuable information to your readers as long as you credit the proper person, quote a small portion of someone else's work, and provide a link back to their website.

5. Do you want to know if someone stole your work? Simply type in your name or blog name into a search engine, you'd be surprised what comes up. It may not show on the first page, second page, or third page, but I guarantee you can find your articles where it doesn't belong. What to do? Email the person who stole your work and let them know that they had no right to take your work without your permission. Also, mention copyright laws within your blogs and websites. Write an article and display "Respect Copyright Laws" within your site that a reader can easily read and see. Don't let the internet intruders take your work.

Tips & Warnings

• This is based on my own experience of other's stealing my work on the internet. The best tips are to keep records, dates, times, and files within your computer. Always keep what you've written online in a safe file within your home or your computer/disc.

Resources

• Internet and Copyright
• The Write Way
• Photobucket.com

[asksummer]

on 8/18/2008 Thanks. Great information.

[Adrie]

on 8/5/2008 Oh, this is such an important article! Especially with the internet. It's so easy to engage in infringement. This is going on my favorites list! Thanks!

[TeryLynne]

on 8/3/2008 Thanks IckyCucky! I appreciate the wonderful feedback.

[IcyCucky]

on 8/3/2008 This article should be on the feature page, because it's so very important for people to know.

I've found a few of my articles on other people's blog, purely copy and paste on their page. One person even go as far as change my story into her name!

[DUSTYMILLS]

on 7/31/2008 I hope that many,many people read this.....it's even happening here on this site. Thank you...