Copyright for every day

Whether you’re a business owner, executive, or employee, writing effective business letters is an essential skill for communicating professionally. From B2B communications with clients and vendors to B2C interactions with customers, clear and concise writing can help you establish and maintain strong relationships.

What is a copyright? How can the writing service help with copyright? How to copyright? Let’s start from the very basics. It is a legal protection that is given to any piece of art or original creation. And it is an essential part of our everyday life. Often we do not even think about how many times a day we deal with it, whether it is listening to music or putting a nice picture in your blog post, or a business a letter writing . Today I’m going to share all the basic knowledge you need to have about it to avoid any troubles and violations. You can also learn how to protect your rights and creations online. 

Copyright law might sound confusing to some, but it is quite easy to understand. First, copyright law, let’s put the record straight – no international copyright law exists. Each country deals with it differently, although there are international agreements, and you can see it in speech writing as well. But the general understanding of what copyright is and what types of things it protects is the same. If you work closely with media or in a Digital sphere where using copyright is daily, this article will guide you.

Why should I care about it? 🦄 You may ask. Well, because you do not want to violate anyone’s rights by not knowing. And if you are a content creator, you need to know how to protect your art. If you are a nerd like us 🤓 here is an exact determination of what is a copyright.

What is Copyright and How Does it Work? A Comprehensive Overview

It is the legal protection of any original work. Often people talk about copyrighted pieces of art of specific significance. But in reality, historical or cultural significance plays no role in this. Anything you do, whether a song, novel, or even social media content is protected legally. 

The author or creator’s exclusive right to copy, post, and sell their work. The author can also sell or trade this right and give permission to others to use their work. To put it simply – when you create something, a painting, you are the only one who has the right to use it for commercial or any other purposes, such as press relase. But you can also sell the right, or your relatives can inherit it. 

Here is a guide to the fair use of copyright:

 Do I need to register somewhere to copyright my book or song? This is quite a popular question. No, there is no need to register anything. The copyright takes effect as soon as you write it. You do not need to put a copyright symbol too. In its nature, it has no power; the work of art is already legally protected. But the copyright symbol can remind users and viewers about the legal restrictions. 

There is no need to follow any procedures. However, some countries allow that. Such registration can be used in a court case as evidence if someone violates the copyright. 

What is Protected by Copyright Law: Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities

Now, let’s talk about what is eligible for such protection. Of course, everyone knows now about copyrighted music, but maybe you haven’t ever thought about the details. For example, folk music or old classic tunes might seem like they are already not eligible for protection. Usually, copyright works for 70 years after the death of the author. The exact date can change depending on the country’s legislation. So when you put Mozart’s music on your YouTube video or website, you might think it is fine. It has been much longer than 70 years. But when you choose a specific recording, it is made by some musician. And their recording is protected separately from the original creation. The same goes for remixes and arrangements. And if the copyright is still in force for this particular recording, you are violating the rights of this musician. To avoid 

The creations that are copyright-protected include: 

• All literary pieces, including books, stories, novels, eBooks, articles, blog posts, and social media posts. Yes, your Instagram posts or blogs are also protected. If someone copies part of your text or the whole piece, they violate the law. Article writing is also eligible for protection, even if people do not always know it. 
• Architecture and buildings. 
• Any piece of art, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and even something as simple as a doodle. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. If you created it – it is already protected. 
• Marketing materials and advertising. 
• Technical documents and drawings. 
• All cinematography pieces, including movies, TV shows, video clips, podcasts, and YouTube videos. 
• Dancing routines. Yes, the particular dance designed by a creator is also eligible for copyright. 
• All musical compositions and arrangements. Copyright music also includes concerts, performances, and live recordings. 
• Computer code, programs, all software, and hardware. 

Now let’s name what is not protected by copyright:

• General facts, meaning basic knowledge. 
• Ideas. Unless they have any material presence, they cannot be protected. There is no way to prove that idea came to your mind first unless you somehow bring it to life or document it. 
• Operational methods. 

To sum it up, the law protects anything you create with the minimum level of creativity. It can be a picture you post on social media, an article you write, or a song remix. You don’t have to put a copyright symbol to show that, although it helps sometimes. 

When Can You Use Copyrighted Creations: Navigating Fair Use and Permissions

We all use someone else’s work in one way or another. The easiest example is academic papers. Students must cite other sources to support their arguments or create new research. And it is perfectly valid – citations are legal. So, for instance, if you want to put a quote in your article – it is completely fine. All you need to do is to credit the author. 

There is also a fair use concept. It allows the use of original work without the author’s permission for parody, critique, and reviews, such as Product descriptions. A good example is commentary videos on YouTube. If you are watching a clip about a movie, the creator can use original pieces in their montage as fair use when they critique something. This concept is in YouTube guidelines. However, the number of original pieces used in a review should be adequate and reasonable, like in backstory writing. If you put the whole movie for others to watch – it violates the law. If you have too many doubts regarding copyrights while writing any type of content – you may use the professional help of the writing service at Writing Metier.

So when can you use something? Well, if you have the permission of the copyright holder. You are good to go if the author grants you the right to use their work. Otherwise, it is better to use copyright-free materials, Grammarly can help here. Read about the importance of the content for a website. Here are some examples:

• You can put a search filter on Google to find copyright-free images, they are ready to use; 
• Several sites offer free images and photos that can be used for many purposes, such as Unsplash; 
• YouTube has a catalog of copyright-free music for videos. The authors allow anyone to use it.

Now, I want to answer several often-asked questions. 

☑ Copyright Symbols vs. Trademarks: What’s the Difference?

No, copyright protects the originality of the work. The trademark is used to protect inventions and discoveries, as well as marketing materials, such as a logo or brand name. 

☑ Copyrighting a Book in Multiple Countries: Considerations and Options

No, it is impossible, as the legislation is different. Although all countries recognize such rights, the means of protection are different. For example, UK legislation recognizes not only economic but also moral rights. 

☑ What to Do if Someone Copies Your Work on Social Media: Legal Options and Strategies

You can speak directly to the person and ask them to delete the post. You can also go directly to the social media platform support team. They usually handle such cases pretty fast and well. 

☑ Using Copyrighted Music: Risks, Regulations, and Alternatives

It depends on the way you use it. For starters, your video or post can be deleted or suspended, as well as your account. You can get copyright claims on YouTube, and all the revenue will go to the rights holder. If you copy and sell others’ music, there can be a court case. 

☑ What Evidence Do You Need to Copyright a Book or Novel: Tips and Best Practices

Usually, you only need a file with the creation date to prove that you had it first. All digital files have such traces automatically. Also, white paper can be an excellent example of what it is. To void loosin data or tasks, you can use SCRUM.

Conclusion 

These are the basics everyone should know about copyright to protect their work and not violate anyone’s rights. Use copyright-free materials, always credit the author when citing, and be respectful to other creators. If you still have questions or doubts, don’t hesitate and use assistance and get help in writing tasks that require copyright.