Welcome to elreno.org
Copyright Infringement
Play It Safe: Making Sure You're Not Committing Copyright Infringement
Copyright infringement is not an easy thing to explain. While it may seem as simple as not using someone else’s work, it’s not that easy. Thanks to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and many other organizations, we have the ability to use others’ works – as long as we use it under ‘fair use’ laws. So what does fair use have to do with copyright infringement, and how can you utilize it?
Fair use laws are the conditions in which you can use a copyrighted work without having to pay someone royalties. This includes when you use a copyrighted work for educational or instructional uses, criticism of the work, commentaries on the work, news reporting about the work, teaching on the work (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship uses, and research. This is talked about fully in Section 107 of the Copyright Code (commonly called Fair Use) and is available for you to read at your local library.
Copyright Infringement in day-to-day life
Sometimes, if you’re writing a paper for work or school, or if you are creating a Power Point presentation, you need to use someone’s work that is already in copyright. So how do you use it without committing copyright infringement? All you have to do is ask – the worst they can say is no, right? But, if they do say no, there are several items in the public domain which may help you to finish your project without having to commit copyright infringement.
What is the public domain, and how does it relate to copyright infringement?
Material that is not copyrighted is considered in the public domain – you cannot commit copyright infringement on works in the public domain. These works include things that the copyright has expired on, or is not copyright-able – such as government publications, jokes, titles, and ideas. Some creators (writers, musicians, artists, and more) deliberately put their work in the public domain, without ever obtaining copyright, by providing an affiliation with Creative Commons. Creative Commons allows people who create materials to forfeit some, or all, of their copyright rights and place their work either partially or fully in the public domain.
So, how do I ensure I’m not committing copyright infringement?
First of all, if you’re going to use someone else’s material, you may want to check the public domain to see if something is suitable for use, instead of trying to use someone else’s copyright. However, if you can’t find something suitable (and you can’t create something yourself), the next best thing (and your only legal course of action) is to find a piece that is in copyright, and contacting the copyright holder.
When you contact the copyright holder, make sure you tell them what you want to use their piece for – whether it’s for your blog, podcast, or report – and ask them if you can use it. You may have to pay royalties, or an attribution in your piece, or a combination of both. The creator may also place many limitations on when and how you can use their material. Follow all these instructions they give you, and you’ll be free and clear to use their work as you want.
Once you have permission to use a copyrighted work, you need to make sure you stay within the agreed-upon boundaries - if you veer outside their agreed terms, you may open yourself up for a copyright infringement lawsuit – which can be nasty, costly, and time consuming. If you’re in doubt, before contacting the copyright holder, contact a copyright lawyer to ensure you’re following the law – and protect yourself!
Five Biggest Job Hunting Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Looking for a job can be a challenging experience. Between the resume writing and the interviews you can find yourself exhausted and ready to throw in the towel prematurely. Stay the course until you find the job you want. While you are on your job-hunting journey, here are five big mistakes to avoid when job hunting. Steering clear of these mistakes could make finding a job much easier. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they are job hunting is not looking in enough places for jobs. There is a certain level of diligence you need to maintain when you are searching for a job. Look in newspapers, online and ask around. Of course, there are boundaries you should follow when looking for a job. First of all only apply and interview for jobs that you think you would take if you were offered the position. Do not apply for jobs that you are not qualified at all for or jobs that you do not have a clear understanding of. When applying for jobs, it is important to have a resume that is update and professional looking. If you are not a good resume writer, look at examples online or find a professional to do your resume for you. Employers will take one look at a messy or unprofessional resume and rule you out without ever meeting you. It is also important to be sure that you resume can be found online. There are plenty of job sites that allow users to post resumes. Some sites even allow multiple resumes to be posted. This is a great place for employers to locate your resume and contact you without you actually applying for the job. Lying on your resume can eliminate you from being a job candidate immediately. If you stretch the truth about your experience or the type of jobs you have had in the past, employers will think that you are a liar. If employers think you are a lair they will not feel confident about hiring you because you have already compromised your integrity. Tell the truth about your work and educational history. No matter what people may tell you, an honest inexperienced candidate is better than a lying experienced candidate. Have faith that you will be able to prove your worthiness for the position you are applying for without making up half-truths. Be sure that your contact information is correct and that you respond when you are contacted. No matter how busy you are, you need to check your e-mail and phone messages on a regular basis. If you do not respond to a call about a job this is a sign that you do not need employment that badly. Employers will move on to the next candidate if you are slow getting back to them. Candidates that are not prepared for their interviews are typically eliminated from the search before the interview is over. If you are late for an interview you have a big huge mark against you as soon as you walk in the door. Not being dressed in professional attire also will leave the interview with a very bad impression of you before you even speak. If you show up without a pen or copies of your resume you look like you are unfamiliar with the interview process. This, in turn, makes it quite possible that you are unfamiliar with other work place procedures. A good job hunt can land you the job of your dreams. When you are settled into your new job you will be thankful that you took the time to search for a job the right way. Copyright lawyer support service Things a Copyright Lawyer Support Service Covers There are a few things every copyright lawyer support service should cover and those are summaries of any cases that are currently ongoing. This is a way that the client and the copyright lawyer stay up-to-date and should something new come up they know all about it. You would have to be going up for an issue you think has only been ruled one way until last week, however if you were you would know because of the copyright lawyer support service would be right in front of you. In this you would find the court case and number, the day it was held, who the judge was and the representing attorneys plus a summary of what the case was actually about. See how much information a copyright lawyer support service gives you? Now you will know if it is a new lawyer or someone that you are already familiar with, which is good especially if you will be going up against them. A client or a lawyer may find themselves wanting to look into the archives of the copyright lawyer support service if one is available. There are always a ton of gems from the past that can help someone out, maybe there is a copyright case that others forgot about. This is when a lawyer would be able to quote the case number and know exactly what it was about and could share it with the others. There aren’t just one or two different copyright lawyer support service, no you can find just about as many as there are lawyers. Think of every one that has been to a court hearing, or that was ruled outside of court for years, plus the many that haven’t even gone forward yet. An entire firm may have one or a copyright lawyer that is working on their own. It doesn’t matter exactly who it is, only that they are there to support YOU. Another copyright lawyer support service may actually be that they are there to help you fill out an application, whether it is online or in their office. If you have questions call their help line or your lawyer and find out what you should do. Or you may just want to use the service to copy your copyright right there in front of you and not have to make an appointment to do it. These days copyright lawyer support service is getting much better and faster, due to the ever growing demand of their own services. A service may also include a list of recommended copyright lawyers as well as all the summaries of current cases. What better way to find the lawyer you need than to get one that is highly praised in a document that provides you with so much information. A lawyer will learn exactly what they need to do to help you if they read a copyright lawyer support service very carefully. They’ll barely have to do much research once this is in front of them, all they have to do is read the page and find out how the lawyer did it. Due to the internet changing so frequently so does copyright laws and the best way to keep up is by following along with the copyright lawyer support service. Sure they are there to support you but they are also there to support the lawyers. It is a great service for everyone involved but it won’t help a single person if you aren’t aware that it is out there. |