What is Copyright Infringement?
Copyright Infringement pertains to the violation of someone's intellectual property (IP). It is another term for piracy of the theft of someone's original creation, especially if the one who stole reaps the benefits and not the creator of the material.
To understand copyright infringement, you must first know the rights, as well as the limitations, of a copyright holder. It's possible to engage in copying and distributing someone's work without actually violating or infringing anything, so you're not legally accountable. It's also possible to be subjected to a legal process even if you had no intention or knowledge that you stole from the owner.
Terms of Protection for Copyrighted Work
A creator has copyright protection for their work for as long as they live. The term of protection ends 70 years after their death, though. If the work was the result of a collaboration, then the terms of protection will last 70 years after the last surviving creator's death. However, if the work was an anonymous or pseudonymous creation, then the terms of protection will last 95 years from it's publication date.
Tips for avoiding Copyright Infringement
It's super easy to reproduce and distribute other people's creative, original works in this day and age. However, using copyrighted material is not worth the damage it can do to your finances, time, and sanity. Here are some tips for avoiding copyright infringement and the inevitable court case:
Examples of Copyright Infringement
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