Quality Content Writers Group
Copyright Information
by David Schupbach
David Schupbach 
I have recently decided to research some information about copyrighted material.
I admit, I have always been under the impression that you had to apply for a copyright before your works were protected, but as it turns out, that is not the case.
It happened like this:
I had downloaded a document from a website that was freely offered to all. A month or so later someone on a forum was searching for the same document, and after carefully reading the article to see if it had any warnings about being copyrighted material and finding none, I posted it on the forum where all could access it, thinking it would be OK, as the author was offering it for free from his site anyway!
WRONG!!
By transmitting his pdf file, I had just violated copyright law!
Fortunately, the writer was a member of the forum and caught my mistake within minutes, even MORE fortunate was the fact he was a decent person, and accepted my apology and removal of the posting.
Turns out, by law, all material is copyrighted at the moment of creation. Even as I am writing this, before hitting the submit button, this sentence and all the proceeding sentences of this document are copyrighted automatically!
You can read the details HERE:
I find I have two emotions about this:
Caution, I now know that without written permission, I cannot post or publish ANYTHING I did not write, and-
Relief, It's good to know that anything I create is protected!
Jul 15th 2008 07:09
I have recently decided to research some information about copyrighted material.
I admit, I have always been under the impression that you had to apply for a copyright before your works were protected, but as it turns out, that is not the case.
It happened like this:
I had downloaded a document from a website that was freely offered to all. A month or so later someone on a forum was searching for the same document, and after carefully reading the article to see if it had any warnings about being copyrighted material and finding none, I posted it on the forum where all could access it, thinking it would be OK, as the author was offering it for free from his site anyway!
WRONG!!
By transmitting his pdf file, I had just violated copyright law!
Fortunately, the writer was a member of the forum and caught my mistake within minutes, even MORE fortunate was the fact he was a decent person, and accepted my apology and removal of the posting.
Turns out, by law, all material is copyrighted at the moment of creation. Even as I am writing this, before hitting the submit button, this sentence and all the proceeding sentences of this document are copyrighted automatically!
You can read the details HERE:
I find I have two emotions about this:
Caution, I now know that without written permission, I cannot post or publish ANYTHING I did not write, and-
Relief, It's good to know that anything I create is protected!
Jul 15th 2008 07:09
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Comments
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David Schupbach
About the only thing I have ever written that I would probably want to copyright are my songs, about 45 all told, and I have material witnesses for all of them... Jul 15th 2008 14:22 |
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Jean DAndrea
RetiredHave always known that copyright is from the moment something is written, but didn't know about the publishing on websites side of it. Looks as if we had all better be careful. Jul 15th 2008 20:53 |
Having copywrite and proving copywrite are two different things.
If you write something and wish to take the precaution of creating proof of ownership, post it to yourself in a manner that will have the date of posting clearly stamped onto the envelope in which it is enclosed. When you receive it, simply file the envelope away without opening it. This way you can, if necessary, prove, in front of a legally qualified witness, your authorship and the date on which you posted it to yourself.
If copywrite is disputed without sufficient proof, you would be better occupied trying to empty the Atlantic with a sieve.
Jul 15th 2008 08:10