Most Frequent Copyright Violations
Copyright laws protect infringement of intellectual property. Some of the things protected under copyright law include sound recordings, movies, written music and lyrics, books, poems, photographs and works of art. Copyright violations and infringement happen often, in some cases unknowingly while in others, with full knowledge. Infringing upon a copyright can result in fines as well as damages paid to the owner of the copyright whose copyright you violated.
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P2P File Sharing
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Peer to peer software (P2P), also known as file sharing software, is software that allows users to transfer files from one computer to another. While using peer to peer software isn't illegal, using it to share copyrighted music, movies, books or any other form of intellectual property is. Uploading copyrighted files happens every day, and people download those files, making this one of the most common forms of copyright violation.
Burning CDs and DVDs
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Computer technology today makes it easy to make copies of your music CDs or movies. Copyright law allows you to make one copy of each of your purchased music CDs or movies for the purpose of backup, but many people burn copies and pass them out to friends. This is a frequent form of copyright violation. It's a misconception that you aren't violating copyright laws as long as you aren't making money from the copies you make.
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Copying Sheet Music and Books
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Making copies of sheet music and books is a violation of copyright law. Copying small portions of sheet music and books is allowable for the purpose of review or education. The allowable amount isn't set in stone; it depends upon the size of the work and how much an educator or reviewer copies. Copyright law states that if a substantial amount of the work is copied, whether for review purpose or not, the copyright has been violated. These terms are set forth in the United State's Copyright "Fair Use" clause.
Illegal Use of Photographs
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Using a photograph you didn't take is a violation of copyright. Many people find photographs on the Internet and use them for their websites. This is a common form of copyright violation. If you don't own the copyright to a photograph, you cannot use the image. (The same applies to drawings and paintings.) Lack of attribution of the copyright owner does not mean an image is up for grabs. Legally, you cannot use something you didn't create without violating copyright laws.
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