It is never an easy job to create something from the start? Immense hard work and dedication is needed for this purpose. In terms of literal definition, copy infringement is defined as stealing of protected information. It is completely illegal and relevant actions are taken by the owner. However, before that, you need to detect it on time. A delay cannot only put your reputation at stake but the hard work you have put in would also go to waste.
- A lot of owners do have questions about how they can detect whether the content they have created has been copied or not. The best way is using a paid or reliable free plagiarism checker. This tool requires the user to upload a particular chunk of information. This writing piece is compared with everything published online. If there is any resemblance, the relevant section is highlighted. Therefore, if you are suspicious, use one of these tools to get a confirmation.
If the tool shows you that your content has been reused, go through the conditions related to infringement. Study the legal terms in particular and analyze the actions that can be taken. The important thing is that this situation can be avoided. It is a common saying that “prevention is better than cure”. Hence, the finest strategy is protecting your content so that there is no infringement in the first place. At times, this is done unintentionally. Consider that you have posted a product description on your website and it is copyright protected. However, you have not mentioned any instructions in this case. Therefore, if someone copies it, the act would be purely unintentional.
Key methods for preventing copyright infringement
Here are some smart methods that can be used to prevent stealing / illegitimate use of content. Let us have a quick glance at them.
- Clearly Defined Terms and Conditions
Most websites have a list of terms and conditions which the owners want the visitors to abide by. Usually they are mentioned right at the bottom. This is basically the list of conditions that visitors have to follow when they are going through the content. You need to list down all the terms under that heading. At times, website owners are fully aware of the information to provide. You cannot claim on anything that has not been written in black and white. Therefore, the best way out is having some sessions with a legal expert. Make sure that he specializes in rights for online businesses.
- It is important for website owners to discuss what they are dealing in. This helps in laying down the copyright conditions. For instance, if you ae dealing in electronic products, the web pages would have a large number of images. Therefore, if you don’t want them to be downloaded or copied, a technological restriction has to be applied. Similarly, related points have to be mentioned in the terms.
- Properly defined conditions help you in a lot of ways particularly in case of unintentional violators. If you have not mentioned that images are copy righted, people would not see any reason not to download / reuse them. On the other hand, if you have laid down the conditions and still attempts are made, you would not be blamed legally. Therefore, mentioning all the important conditions is essential.
2. Register the protected content for copyrights
A website comprises of several information classifications with text and images being the common ones. As an owner, you need to filter the ones which you do not want to be reused. For instance, if there are ten product images and three of them are logos. Suppose that you do not have problems with the product snapshots being reused. However, you don’t want the logos to be copied as they present the unique identity of your company. Thus, register copyrights for all pictures which you wish to protect.
- Apart from images, text content can also be copyright registered. Most website owners protect all the information providers and they are only permitted to read it. Nothing can be copied or downloaded.
3. The legal process of desists letters
It is expected that people do attempt to steal information even if the conditions have properly been paid down. Therefore, owners should be prepared for it. There are certain stages which you need to follow. If you see that a violation has been done, sending a formal email is the first step. It is important to inform the guilty person that he has done something illegal. This email is not a legal warning in any manner. It is just a normal intimation.
- If someone with a criminal mindset has attempted to steal information, he would probably ignore the email. This is when you need to escalate to the next level. You need to opt for a desist letter. Only a lawyer can send it since there are legal conditions attached to it. The receiver has a time frame (usually 72 hours) in which he has to send a response. In other cases, the level of legal severity is increased.
Conclusion
It can prove to be a tough experience when something you own gets stolen. Website owners should always expect this as most people are not prepared to work hard. They opt for illegitimate short cuts and copying information is a common example. By following some important practices, the chances of facing this problem can be reduced. First of all, register copyrights for integral data particularly business logos. If such information gets copied, you can expect the worst ramifications. This process is overly simple and you can get online information on it. In other cases, you can get legal consultation on it.
Do not reach the conclusion that violations would not take place if you have followed the recommended steps. People would still make attempts. In that case, make sure that the related person is notified through a proper email. You can approach a legal expert if the problem is not solved after that.
