How to Research Workplace Copyrights
Determine the author of the work., Find out the context of the work's creation., Look for a Creative Commons license.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine the author of the work.
In most cases, the person who created the work owns the copyright in that work.Often the creator's name will accompany the work.
For text, this usually is pretty easy, but it can be more difficult with visual works.
For example, if you find a photograph you want to use on the internet, you might look for a watermark or other signature.
If you found the image on a website, you may be able to contact the person who owns or operates the website and find out the identity of the photographer.
Unfortunately, images get copied and pasted on the internet so many times it can be difficult to locate the original source.
You can try searching by image, which will bring up similar images all over the internet.
Sort your results by date – the oldest typically will get you closer to the original photographer. -
Step 2: Find out the context of the work's creation.
If the work was created in the course and scope of employment, the author's employer may own the copyright in the work.Ultimately, you need to know who owns the copyright in the work you want to use so you know who you need to contact to get permission to use it.
If you find something on the internet you want to use, look for copyright information on the website itself.
There may be a dedicated copyright link, or you may find this information under an "about" or "legal" link.
Whether something was created as a work-for-hire also will impact the duration of copyright protection, so generally it's important to find out whether the copyright owner is an individual or a business. #Figure out when the work was created.
Learning the date of creation can help you determine if the work is in the public domain, and therefore free to use.Generally, anything created before 1922 is in the public domain.
Determining the copyright status of works created between 1922 and 1978 is more complicated, because the copyright law in effect at the time required a copyright notice to be printed on registered works, and also required copyrights to be renewed.
Copyright protection begins at the moment a work is created.
It isn't even necessary to officially register a copyright to get this protection.
However, people do have the right to release their work into the public domain if they choose.
If something was created after 1978, you can assume the author has full copyright protection unless there is an explicit statement that the work is in the public domain. , Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables creators to license certain uses of their work.Many creators who share their work on the internet use Creative Commons licenses to manage their intellectual property.
These licenses are free for the creator and allow him or her to set the level of protection for any given work.
For example, if the creator is fine with others using and sharing her work as long as she is properly attributed as the creator of the work, she might have an attribution license.
Other Creative Commons licenses restrict use of the work to non-commercial uses only, or only allow you to use the work if you make the work in which you use it available to others on the same terms.
Generally, if there is a Creative Commons license attached to the work, this will be indicated by a Creative Commons logo.
If you see this logo, that means you don't have to contact the creator to use the work, as long as your use falls within the bounds of the license. -
Step 3: Look for a Creative Commons license.
Detailed Guide
In most cases, the person who created the work owns the copyright in that work.Often the creator's name will accompany the work.
For text, this usually is pretty easy, but it can be more difficult with visual works.
For example, if you find a photograph you want to use on the internet, you might look for a watermark or other signature.
If you found the image on a website, you may be able to contact the person who owns or operates the website and find out the identity of the photographer.
Unfortunately, images get copied and pasted on the internet so many times it can be difficult to locate the original source.
You can try searching by image, which will bring up similar images all over the internet.
Sort your results by date – the oldest typically will get you closer to the original photographer.
If the work was created in the course and scope of employment, the author's employer may own the copyright in the work.Ultimately, you need to know who owns the copyright in the work you want to use so you know who you need to contact to get permission to use it.
If you find something on the internet you want to use, look for copyright information on the website itself.
There may be a dedicated copyright link, or you may find this information under an "about" or "legal" link.
Whether something was created as a work-for-hire also will impact the duration of copyright protection, so generally it's important to find out whether the copyright owner is an individual or a business.
#Figure out when the work was created.
Learning the date of creation can help you determine if the work is in the public domain, and therefore free to use.Generally, anything created before 1922 is in the public domain.
Determining the copyright status of works created between 1922 and 1978 is more complicated, because the copyright law in effect at the time required a copyright notice to be printed on registered works, and also required copyrights to be renewed.
Copyright protection begins at the moment a work is created.
It isn't even necessary to officially register a copyright to get this protection.
However, people do have the right to release their work into the public domain if they choose.
If something was created after 1978, you can assume the author has full copyright protection unless there is an explicit statement that the work is in the public domain. , Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables creators to license certain uses of their work.Many creators who share their work on the internet use Creative Commons licenses to manage their intellectual property.
These licenses are free for the creator and allow him or her to set the level of protection for any given work.
For example, if the creator is fine with others using and sharing her work as long as she is properly attributed as the creator of the work, she might have an attribution license.
Other Creative Commons licenses restrict use of the work to non-commercial uses only, or only allow you to use the work if you make the work in which you use it available to others on the same terms.
Generally, if there is a Creative Commons license attached to the work, this will be indicated by a Creative Commons logo.
If you see this logo, that means you don't have to contact the creator to use the work, as long as your use falls within the bounds of the license.
About the Author
Melissa Armstrong
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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