MightyRecruiterYou may not think copyrights have a large impact on your day-to-day life, but you could be wrong. Copyrights not only can protect your intellectual property and preserve your source of income, they also dictate what you can do with other people’s work. Some of the most common realms in which copyrights affect daily usage are in fields such as technology, music, art and educational resources. Let’s take a look at copyright protection in the real world and how it can intersect with your life.
Technology
The Internet is a wondrous thing that give us access to all sorts of information and ideas we wouldn’t have ever seen otherwise, even with a lifetime of research. However, there also seems to be a mindset that if information is available online, it is legal for anyone to reproduce or repost any of it whenever he or she wants. In many cases, it is not permissible to copy content, photos or videos from other people’s websites without permission. In fact, webmasters can land themselves in a lot of trouble by simply stealing content without first getting consent.
On the other side of the equation is people who create software and other technological types of intellectual property. Although they are not required to do so, these inventors should consider applying for a copyright to protect their invention. Even if they only plan to use it for themselves, there is a chance someone could develop something in the future that is similar and then accuse the first inventor of copyright infringement. It is a simple and inexpensive process to copyright software, and it can prevent a lot of hassle in the long run.
Art, Music and Recipes
This category, like technological copyrights, has two sides: use and creation. Most pieces of intellectual property in the fields of art and music can be and already are copyrighted. Just like with content on the Internet, there is a universal understanding that the general public cannot reproduce or sell copies of other people’s artwork, musical compositions or other types of expression. The spotlight in recent decades has been on the music industry. Technology made it possible for consumers to copy and share musicians’ work without permission, which deprived the artists of the income they should have earned from the sale of music. This real-life example of copyright law has been complicated and well publicized.
From the standpoint of the people creating the artwork and music, copyright laws can offer some protection. However, copyright law can be stickier for this industry. Because art and music are types of personal expression that also rely largely on public assets – such as nature, music notes or dance steps – it can be more difficult to obtain copyrights on these creations. Recipes are a good example of this phenomenon. A recipe mainly is a set of instructions, which is not available for copyright, but some might argue that the chef’s personal touch and alterations turn the recipe into a work of art. These are all challenging distinctions.
Educational Use
The use of copyrighted materials in the real world can be permitted under certain circumstances, most notable the “Fair Use” distinction. This label indicates that if a small part of a copyrighted piece of intellectual property is being used for educational purposes and not commercial gain, it may be permitted. There is a list of requirements that must be met before the educational use is allowed, but in many cases, there are not many barriers to copyrighted material being sampled in this way.
The effect of copyrights in the real world are extensive, both for users and creators. Anyone who feels they might be infringing on a copyright or being infringed upon should look deeper into the provisions of the copyright law.
Legal Disclaimer
The content on our website is only meant to provide general information and is not legal advice. We make our best efforts to make sure the information is accurate, but we cannot guarantee it. Do not rely on the content as legal advice. For assistance with legal problems or for a legal inquiry please contact you attorney.