| Copyright is a legal fiction designed to protect the | | | | number of decades in preventing others from |
| works of artists, inventors and innovators. In | | | | steeling ideas. This is primarily designed to |
| essence, it is a legal bar, allowing exclusivity for | | | | encourage forward thinking and art, and can be a |
| those who create works in the form of an | | | | vital tool in protecting the financial interests of |
| intangible asset which can be sold or relinquished, | | | | those responsible for some of the world's most |
| and which expires upon a certain period of time. | | | | vital progressions. Consider the inventors of the |
| With the growth of the internet, and the creation | | | | seatbelt, Volvo. Volvo could have used their |
| of more and more content, the question of | | | | copyright to prevent other manufacturers from |
| copyright is becoming increasingly more relevant, | | | | installing seat belts, and this would have been |
| and one which more and more webmasters are | | | | sufficient to protect any other manufacturer |
| considering to protect their own interests. | | | | from doing so. Of course they waived their |
| Additionally, with the rise of the freelancer | | | | rights for the safety of the general public, which is |
| market, the issue of copyright is becoming a | | | | also a possible consideration for the creator of |
| heated topic of debate for both buyers and | | | | something new and innovative. |
| sellers at every stage in the production chain, and | | | | Copyright is an exhaustible right, and it usually |
| the effects of not having the relevant rights could | | | | expires on a given date, after which all works |
| be potentially catastrophic. In this article, we'll | | | | enter the public domain. This means that those |
| look at what exactly copyright is, and how it | | | | who create new products have sufficient time to |
| relates to the internet in content creation. | | | | capitalise on their idea before the world at large |
| Copyright is an artificial concept that gives the | | | | can join in. Unfortunately for many musicians, |
| creator of a work, or the person he sells the right | | | | this means their artistic works can no longer |
| to, the legal right to use or modify in whole or in | | | | make them money specifically, and can be used |
| part, and to call their own. It has a different | | | | royalty free; a fact that has caused much uproar |
| meaning in most jurisdictions, however the basic | | | | and unrest in recent years. |
| principle is the same: the creator owns the original | | | | Copyright is a dynamic area of the law, and is |
| copyright to the work in question, and has the | | | | particularly relevant to the internet. As more and |
| freedom to pass this on at will, usually in | | | | more content of more and more varieties is |
| consideration for money. Where a creator is | | | | created online, there comes a need to find |
| working on commission, copyright is designed to | | | | protection in copyright law to prevent |
| act as a lien in his favour, meaning that if he | | | | unscrupulous parties from using content without |
| creates and passes on but does not receive | | | | authorisation. In combating this, a number of |
| payment, he can withhold copyright and sue for | | | | international legal organisations have been |
| breach where applicable. Of course, he would | | | | established with a view to tackling copyright |
| also have remedies under the ordinary law of | | | | violation, and helping those without legal support to |
| contract, but the grasp of copyright is a very | | | | fight cases for the protection of their work. It is |
| powerful tool, which can even be used against the | | | | undoubtedly an area of law that is on the |
| third party buyer from the original commissioner. | | | | ascendancy, as lawyers worldwide strive to find a |
| Copyright is designed as a tool to cover what is | | | | cohesive structure to online intellectual property |
| known as intellectual property. Committing | | | | law, and the protections online authors should be |
| intellectual thoughts and ideas to paper, or making | | | | afforded for creating their works. At least within |
| them tangible is usually sufficient to give rise to | | | | national boundaries, it is highly possible to rely on |
| the copyright protection, which usually lasts for a | | | | copyright laws to protect and govern material. |