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
efficient cleaning crew Northbrook ..There are many ways you can generate ideas you can... Read More
So you want to be a writer, except you don't... Read More
Almost everyone could profit from enhancing their writing skills. From... Read More
During the years that I've been teaching writing and participating... Read More
Reading through a writer's notebook or journal is like discovering... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Complete a character questionnaire for each of... Read More
So you've got your plot outlined, a title lined up... Read More
The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears... Read More
Day after day, writers tend to sit for hours writing... Read More
Do you have trouble getting your thoughts and ideas down... Read More
Ah, writing. For those of us who love to play... Read More
Why is it that so many people don't take writing-as-a-job... Read More
Writing is hard work, and like all hard work, one... Read More
Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great... Read More
Most books aren't rejected because the stories are "bad." They're... Read More
Each author has special editing needs. To save yourself time... Read More
Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock... Read More
Beginning writers often tend to think of a book as... Read More
Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new... Read More
In the current job market, many editorial freelancers have turned... Read More
Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that... Read More
Based on the feedback that I have been getting from... Read More
To keep it simple and basic: Jack Finney's Invasion of... Read More
Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of... Read More
The hardest part of nonfiction writing is finding a subject... Read More
cleaning lady near Wilmette ..Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to... Read More
Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to... Read More
Connectors -- conjunctions, punctuation, and transitional phrases -- allow readers... Read More
For those looking at the jobs listings for writers, they... Read More
Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of... Read More
This is a tough question for every freelance writer. For... Read More
Remember the days when we wrote with pen and paper?... Read More
Verb and SubjectIncorrect:"I bet you two had a fine time,"... Read More
The purpose of this article is to consider Print-On-Demand publishing... Read More
In one of the exercises in my "Getting Started as... Read More
The only way to become a writer is to write.... Read More
Regardless of what sort of writer you are and how... Read More
There is no doubt that a staff writer enjoys advantages... Read More
In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I... Read More
Q. My writing sounds stiff and stilted. Help!A. Memories of... Read More
DEFINITIONSRetail margin is basically the difference between your book's wholesale... Read More
You must write a hypnotic persuasion letter to help you... Read More
Arrogance has a bad rap. We think of arrogant people... Read More
How to Start Your Story with a BangThe purpose of... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
I???ve spoken to hundreds of editors, employers, and project managers... Read More
Long ago, movie directors mastered the technique of creating a... Read More
About two weeks ago I received an article submissionthat immediately... Read More
Pictures they say are worth a thousand words, but many... Read More
Writing |