Website Copyright.

[icre8]

Copyright On The Web

As a web site owner you probably know how easily your images and text can be stolen and used by others. This month we tell you how to enforce your copyright and legally use images belonging to other web sites.

1. Find and use copyrighted content

2. Protect your copyright

3. Web design and copyright

01: Finding And Using Copyrighted Content
Images, text, software, video - no matter what form it takes, there are laws that stop others using or redistributing a work without permission. In fact, even a 'thanks to whoever.com for the image' isn't enough unless you actually asked and received their permission !
In the case of photography, buying images does not necessarily make them yours. Sites such as BigStockPhoto.com and Fotolia.com give only a 'limited license' which allows the use of the photo on your website, business card or other creative work but does not give you the right to resell or otherwise redistribute the photo.

At no time can you legally take content from another website without express permission. 'Google Images' and 'Save As' are both hot-points as they seem to offer a free and easy way of grabbing images and text but without having asked express permission, reproducing them in any way will mean you are plain and simply breaking the law. Even a sentence such as 'image from whateversite.com' is not enough - you need permission !

An example of a copyright request

Dear Namehere

I, your name , am writing on behalf of your company name to request your kind permission to use name of what you want as seen at the web address where the file resides . I have attached a copy of the exact information we wish to use. If this meets your approval, kindly complete the release below and indicate the credit line that you would like us to display :

The undersigned authorizes your company name to use the attached material on your website address in perpetuity :

Signature:

Print name:

Title:

Company name:

Company address:

Contact details:

Credit line:

A 'credit line' is a brief sentence such as 'photograph shown courtesy of whoever.com'. You must have a signature, so offering a method for the owner to Fax you is recommended. If you do not have a fax or even a fax machine, visit faxtastic.co.uk and set up your own FREE fax-to-email account.

02: How To Protect YOUR Copyright
Although the '©' sign or the term 'Copyright yoursitename.com' is generally enough warning, you can choose to show a copyright page on your website (particularly useful for those with a lot of photographs)..here at icre8.ws I would charge £30 (approx $57) for the text plus creation of the new page click here to order yours.

You can protect your website with a simple 'No Right Click' javascript. A slice of techy code added to your site, the script disables the right button of a mouse and therefore offers basic protection from image theft, however, this is no match for a veteran Internet thief.

Enforcing your copyright
For those instances when you find someone using your copyright without permission, you will need to send a 'Cease And Desist' letter visit Utsystem.edu for a letter template

03: Web Design And Copyright Law
Web designers and graphic designers such as myself create our works under the law of 'a work for hire'; by doing so the copyright of the work is passed to it's buyer and, in the eyes of the law, you are responsible for it's copyright and can act on anybody who breeches it.

Thank you for reading this article.