Copyright - what is it? Easily explained
Photos, films and music move quickly from computer to computer on the Internet. In this context, we explain what copyright is and what it does.
Copyright law on the Internet: what is copyright?
- Copyright and copyright are basically synonyms. The underlying concept is that anyone is allowed to protect their "intellectual property" from unlawful use.
- The term "intellectual property" is mostly used in the context, but is relatively vague. In principle, the term refers to the creation of a person or a group of people. This includes both "tangible" things as well as concepts and ideas.
- For example, if you take a photo or write lyrics, these things "belong" to you. The copyright is now to prevent other people from using this photo or the lyrics and outputting them as yours.
- All files and texts that you can find on the Internet are the intellectual property of others. Accordingly, you may not use such files and texts without specifying where you obtain them from.
The Internet and Copyright: Cabal and Love
The network is a platform in which every person can make a contribution, be it in the form of texts, images or music. It only becomes problematic when these goods are distributed, because it quickly becomes impossible to see what originally came from whom:
- Always be careful on the Internet if you want to use other people's pictures, videos, etc. At least state the source from which you obtained the content.
- Important: If you do not mark content that is not your own, that is, you violate copyright law. In the worst case, this violation can have criminal consequences.
- If you want to use content for business, you should always contact the content creator directly, because labeling in the form of a source is not sufficient in this case.
- On exchange exchanges you will find a wide range of feature films, music and series that you can download. However, these downloads violate copyright law and are therefore illegal.
- Social networks (e.g. Facebook) have their own way of dealing with copyright. By registering there, you agree that Facebook may use your images regardless of the copyright.
If you have been warned about file sharing, you can find some advice in the next practical tip.