A copyright is basically the legal exclusive right of the author of a creative work to control the copying of that work. COPYRIGHT LAWS

MYTHS 8

IF IT DOESN’T HAVE A COPYRIGHT NOTICE, IT’S NOT COPYRIGHTED. Was true in the past…now false… Anything after 1989 – copyrighted & protected If it looks copyrighted, assume it is. Correct form for a notice is: “Copyright [dates] by [author/owner].” 1

IF I DON’T CHARGE FOR IT, IT’S NOT A VIOLATION. False…still a violation… Whether you charge or not only affects the damages awarded in court Example: Napster 2

MY POSTING WAS JUST FAIR USE! 3 FAIR USE exemption to copyright law created to allow certain things FAIR USE is generally a short excerpt written in your own words FAIR USE varies from country to country

4 IF YOU DON’T DEFEND YOUR COPYRIGHT, YOU LOSE IT. False. Copyright is never lost these days. You may be thinking of trademarks, which apply to names, and can be weakened or lost if not defended.

If I make up my own stories, but base them on another work, my new work belongs to me. False. Works based or derived from another copyrighted work is the exclusive province of the owner of the original work. 5

THEY CAN’T GET ME… DEFENDANTS IN COURT HAVE POWERFUL RIGHTS! 6 This may be true in civil law, but not here. Sorry, but in copyright suits, this doesn’t apply.

“It doesn’t hurt anybody – in fact, it’s free advertising.” It’s up to the owner to decide if they want the ads or not… It’s not hard to ask the owner; if they don’t want it, they’ll tell you.

“They ed me a copy, so I can post it.” Wrong-o. To have a copy does NOT mean you have the copyright. You can report what the said, however.

In Summary…

These days, almost all things are copyrighted the moment they’re written - no copyright notice is required. Copyright is still violated whether you charge money or not Fair use is meant to allow certain social purposes; ask yourself why you couldn’t have rewritten it in your own words.

Copyright is not lost just because you don’t defend it Don’t rationalize that you are helping the copyright holder; often, it’s not that hard to ask permission Posting is technically a violation, but revealing facts from the isn’t

Get it? Got it? Good.