

The government’s publication, Circular 66, Copyright Registration for Online Works, explains the details of copyright law for online work by saying that “works accessed via network (websites, homepages, and FTP sites) and files and documents transmitted and/or downloaded via network” are protected, as well as works transmitted online including “text, artwork, music, audiovisual material (including any sounds), sound recordings, etc.” This could include multimedia such as podcasts with video or audio, and displays or presentations drawn up for conferences or conventions. Items appearing on a website, including photos, artwork and written content may be protected by a copyright. In the event that one of our clients experiences their copyrighted material being used improperly, we would do our best to assist and advise on a course of action. MightyMerchant has posted a DMCA compliance statement which we adhere to. Another part limits the liability of Online Service Providers in the event of copyright infringement involving someone they provide service for. Part of the act criminalizes the use or distribution of technology which attempts to circumvent copyright controls. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act became a copyright law in 1998. Plus, there’s a public record of your work being registered to you as your own. Copyright should not be confused with “copywrite,” which applies to the process of writing promotional material.Ĭopyright protects “original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture.” If you register a copyright on one of your original works, it allows you to display the work with the copyright symbol of "©." Legal protection extends to original work even without the registration, but registering does entitle you to more protections, such as statutory damages and compensation of attorney’s fees if your copyrighted materials is involved in successful litigation.

In its most basic sense, copyright means “the right to copy” an original creation, and only the owner of the copyright can set limits on how the copyrighted work is used or exhibited.

Unlike a patent, which protects inventions and discoveries, copyright protects works of original authorship. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression.” Copyright covers both published and unpublished works.
#Copyright symbol copy and paste 1976 series#
In this series of articles, planned for three parts, we will delve into some of the issues surrounding trademark law, and other legal issues related to search and online commerce.*Īccording to, the website of the United States copyright office, copyright is “a form of protection grounded in the U.S. In this article we will attempt to clarify some of the esoteric laws governing fair usage of copyrighted materials, including text and photos. There’s a better than average chance that at some point you will find your content being used in a manner in which you have not given permission, and you will be faced with the decision of what, if anything, to do about it. Today’s technology makes it extremely easy for unscrupulous marketers to browse a website, grab a photo or few lines of text, paste it into their website and call it their own.
