I mentioned in an earlier post about how violating copyright is a criminal offense which can result in jail time. I also mentioned how I thought we’d see more copyright violators going to jail. Well, it is happening.
Good.
Don’t forget to remind bloggers and others who use your work AND the work of others without permission about this. It’s theft, plain and simple.
It’s called “intellectual property” for a reason. It’s property. You wouldn’t let someone rent out a corner of your home’s lot to someone else, would you? No, you’d call the cops. Do the same for your other property.
Just like any right–if you don’t protect it now, it may not be there for you in the future.
Leslie, this news should be more widely spread and intellectual property should be more explained. Strange, but lots of photographers don’t know at all what intellectual property is and that they are concerned. By the way, my office is just 5 minutes of the WIPO (World Intelectual Property Organisation) building. Here the link for those interested :
http://www.wipo.int/portal/index.html.en
Lots of very interesting information on that site.
Blogger defense #1 in the case of images will be: “But I’m not for profit! It’s “just” a blog!” – and in the day of GoogleAd checks one wonders how they can say that with a straiht face. 😉
One of these days I want to see an image case specifically reach the courts – when it comes to images it seems people just want to claim fair use day in and day out and unless we see someone nailed for it, telling them it ain’t fair use is just theory.