Copyright and Blogging

sternbildchen · Post by **sternbildchen** » 12 Jun 2007, 13:46

At the moment I'm trying to think of an interesting blog topic. While thinking about different ideas I was thinking about the copyright "laws" on the web.

Do you have any interesting links about this topic "Internet Copyright" and "picture copyright"(1)?
Am I allowed to quote everything as long as I give credit to the original text and like their page(2)?
If I can't find the copyright owner am I allowed to quote everything(3)?
If I take several images to create f.e. the header of the blog do I have to give credit to all of them? Am I allowed to take the image as long the original author is named on the page?(4)
Whats the punishment for copyright violence(5)?

I hope some of you know the answers.

Post by **Gogeta70** » 13 Jun 2007, 02:19

Use http://wikipedia.org/ it will get you the answers you need, i'm sure.

Swan · Post by **Swan** » 13 Jun 2007, 02:57

OP copyright is a part of law you do not want to fall foul of as though it is a civil matter, the penalties can be very expensive.

A copyright holder possess what is referred to as an exclusive right, that is a right to enjoy the copyright and this negatively enforced i.e. it is down to the exclusion of other people. Only the copyright holder can use it, though the holder can if they so choose "assign" the copyright.

If you are assigned the copyright or any rights associated with it, you are allowed to make some use of the work in question agiain subject to the scrutiny of the copyright holder.

Copyright lasts for the duration of the authors life, plus 50 or 70 years dependnet upon the type of work (I cant remember offhand

)

Bottom line is, if you want avoid any trouble, contact the owner and get permission if you cant contact them that does not give you the right to use their work, if someone went away on holiday does that mean you can sleep in their house?

Copyright is intended to protect the way in which people express themselves rather than the actual idea, so yes most likely you would need to ger permission for all and any copyrighted work you intend to make use of.

hope this of use.

sternbildchen · Post by **sternbildchen** » 13 Jun 2007, 06:17

So quoting with linking to the original text is not allowed?

What if I write their text with my own words and link to my "information" source.

Post by **Big-E** » 13 Jun 2007, 06:24

Baron is pretty much right, but I might add to this. Copyright of intellectual property has a very large grey area, as with anything on a computer. It's essentially a non-tangible item. I believe everything is entitled to fair use, and according to Stanford University.

Fair use is a copyright principle based on the belief that the public is entitled to freely use portions of copyrighted materials forpurposes of commentary and criticism. For example, if you wish to criticize a novelist, you should have the freedom to quote a portion of the novelist's work without asking permission. Absent this freedom, copyright owners could stifle any negative comments about their work

They however add that

Unfortunately, if the copyright owner disagrees with your fair use interpretation, the dispute will have to be resolved by courts or arbitration. If it's not a fair use, then you are infringing upon the rights of the copyright owner and may be liable for damages.

So again, it's a grey area in all its entirety.

Personally, I don't see how someone can copyright a blog because they are essentially gathering their information from other sources, placing it in their own words. This imo is plagerism, which is copyright infringment.

After a quick google, I gatherd this information from here -

http://fairuse.stanford.edu/

Have fun reading.

Swan · Post by **Swan** » 13 Jun 2007, 06:27

Anything is allowed, ao long as you get permission from the copyright owner.

As to rewriting the area in your own words, that should be ok so long as you clearly make it known that you were inspired by whoever, so yeah link in those circumstances.

Be careful when you rewritie it in your own words, if your version amounts to a mutilation of the work in question, so if it was aabout history and you rerote that Germany won the 2nd World War, or japan won it when they didnt and people assume that you work or are associated with the orginal copyright owner, then that is a breach of copyright.

Post by **Big-E** » 13 Jun 2007, 06:27

sternbildchen wrote:So quoting with linking to the original text is not allowed?

What if I write their text with my own words and link to my "information" source.

Also I might add, Germany and other countries can have their own definition of copyright laws. You should do some research in your native language if you wish to know more of how applicable NA and EU laws are to your own country. That is my best suggestion if you wish to stay away the from the dark side. However I also wish to add that if I created a blog, I would take it as a compliment if someone cited my work else where on the internet. No doubts about it. However, if they claim it to be their own work then I would be rather annoyed after I put all my work into my blog, tutorial or work - whatever it may be.

Good luck, and good learning.

Swan · Post by **Swan** » 13 Jun 2007, 06:40

The definition of fair use is 2 fold:

1) material used for reporting of current events, critical analyssis review and discussion
2) research/academic purposes, where the copyright material is an essential part, and where there is no significant economic value of the use of the copyright work.

BTW, the fair uses are only used as a defence in an action for breach of copyright, again leading me to my next point.

GET PERMISSION.

It will save you a lot worry, heartache and potential legal problems. It is one of the most strenously pursued areas of law, beaten only by criminal law, and people really get shitty about it. Play it right though, and the copyright owner maybe flattered and hey, wouldnt it be nice for the 2 of you to work in tandem?

one last time GET PERMISSION.

dont mess around with the grey areas and the like, play this by the book and you'll have no problems.

sternbildchen · Post by **sternbildchen** » 13 Jun 2007, 09:00

Ok thanks for the opinions.