Let's Discuss Publisher Ethics:
If you are an ezine publisher or webmaster that likes to use supplemental content from the many free articles available for free reprints on the Internet, this article may save you from a very expensive copyright infringement lawsuit. Stealing articles by violating the posted reprint rights is copyright infringement theft. Read on?
Article Reprints Universal Law #1
Don't assume that you can reprint any article at any time without checking the publicly posted terms of service for reprint rights. If a website does not post its reprint rights policy, you must assume that you do not have permission to reprint the content.
Article Reprints Universal Law #2
While an ethics discussion might take "morality" into consideration, you must take legality into consideration first. Violating an articles copyright is an illegal act. It's intellectual property theft.
Article Reprints Universal Law #3
Planet Earth is a very small planet. Do not assume that you can evade infringement just because you're not based in the country of the authors that you reprinted without permission. You can not hide. Every web server has an IP address and every IP address has a commercial Internet Service Provider managing it. Every ISP has an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) that almost assuredly denies illegal activity to be performed by any of their clients.
Article Reprints Universal Law #4
Consider your article source very carefully. Just because an article directory gives you unlimited reprint rights does not mean they have the legal right to give you rights to reprint the content without further author permission. When in doubt, poll a dozen of the authors of the site and make sure that they agreed to allow their articles to be reprinted.
Best way to determine the legitimacy of the site that is offering the reprint rights is to contact the owner of the site and ask him or her where they got the right to publish the content that they are offering you to reprint for free. Proceed very slowly and with caution when in doubt.
Article Reprints Universal Law #5
Unless you get specific permission, assume that you do not have any right to alter the content in any way without further permission from the author of the article you wish to reprint. You should also not assume that you can change the reprint rights to suit your particular web or ezine project. For example, if an author only gave limited reprint rights, you should not assume that you get lifetime reprint rights.
Article Reprints Universal Law #6
If you are following a reprint rights policy that is publicly posted on a website, it would be good to download a local copy of the reprint policy to prove that you had the right to reprint the content without further permission. It is also a good idea to visit the reprint rights policy on a monthly basis to make sure it has not changed.
Article Reprints Universal Law #7
Get to know copyright law 101? specifically, section 504 of the Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code (http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#504).
Bottom line is that you could be liable for up to $150,000 USD in copyright damages for EACH copyright infringement.
One more point: Copying an entire article does not constitute fair use. You can safely consider copying a few sentences or perhaps a paragraph may be considered fair use, but in no case does the "http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#504" cover reprinting an entire article without attribution or following the posted reprint rights policy.
Article Reprints Conclusion:
Do the right thing.
You know what it is.
Follow the reprint policy or ask the author for permission for each and every article that you wish to reprint.
It's the right thing to do and instinctively, most people know it.
Failure to comply with the reprint rights policy that is posted by an author can invite copyright infringement lawsuits that may have a strong financial bite on your future.
About The Author:
Christopher M. Knight invites you to submit your best articles for massive exposure to the high-traffic http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#504 directory. When you submit your articles to EzineArticles.com, your articles will be picked up by ezine publishers who will reprint your articles with your content and links in tact giving you traffic surges to help you increase your sales. To submit your article, setup a membership account today: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#504
personalized cleaning services Des Plaines ..Peter Abrahams is the author of thirteen novels, including "The... Read More
|| Graphology & Graphotherapy ||Everybody wants to know more about... Read More
Most books aren't rejected because the stories are "bad." They're... Read More
Today it begins.I have always known I was a freelancer.... Read More
It's the funniest thing. When someone asks me what I... Read More
Writing engaging articles and energizing ad copy takes... Read More
As a child, I loved to write. I can't remember... Read More
(excerpted from the "How to Use a Journal" audio series... Read More
At some point, every serious writer is forced to sit... Read More
Nothing is more daunting for any writer than having to... Read More
The Scanning ReaderWriting for the Web is different than writing... Read More
Do you consider yourself a storyteller? Do you consider yourself... Read More
Is there a book inside of you? Yes? Then why... Read More
[When I was a nineteen-year-old high school student and budding... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?It should.A theme is a one-line explanation... Read More
During the years that I've been teaching writing and participating... Read More
Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald.... Read More
Complaint letters aren't always fun, but sometimes they need to... Read More
I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of... Read More
Quite a few years ago, I enrolled in a Degree... Read More
The Benefits of Co-Publishing There are a number of publishers,... Read More
BAITED, BATEDBaited usually refers to traps or snares. When the... Read More
I'm willing to bet that quite a number of you... Read More
Do you suffer from writer's block? Is there a pending... Read More
Mixing and mingling with industry professionals is an opportunity that... Read More
family-safe home cleaners Arlington Heights ..If you're a writer, you're in business. It doesn't matter... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
Today it begins.I have always known I was a freelancer.... Read More
Just about every marketer on the Internet claims to be... Read More
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More
A few magazines refer to their written idea sources in... Read More
All the famous writers I heard of could paper the... Read More
Last week I was having a quick browse on eBay... Read More
Why would anyone want to write for trade journals? Aren't... Read More
So, the decision is final. I am a writer.Actually, I... Read More
Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter... Read More
Authors need to write their book according to their target... Read More
Beginning writers often tend to think of a book as... Read More
Riding on the fumes of potential, you take pen to... Read More
This is a tough question for every freelance writer. For... Read More
If you want to be a writer, you must write... Read More
If you have an online home based business you know... Read More
The process of developing a working title for your nonfiction... Read More
Summer's here and the time is write for dancing in... Read More
Verb and SubjectIncorrect:"I bet you two had a fine time,"... Read More
Mixing and mingling with industry professionals is an opportunity that... Read More
You know, I really hate it when someone catches me... Read More
There's a little known secret we writers like to keep... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?You are plotting the story. You write... Read More
Is there a book inside of you? Yes? Then why... Read More
Writing |