Copyright Clampdown

Copyright has been in the news lately. The music industry suing their customers and watching its business model slowly dissolve. The movie industry is looking like a deer in the headlights. Congress has expanded legal protections for copyright holders. This has created business opportunity and social backlash. I write about some of these issues at my blog, but here I would like to look at some of the ways you can avoid copyright problems when creating web and other presentations.

When creating a website it is tempting to just “snag” any picture you like from the web. Who would know of the theft? Well, embedded digital signatures and improved image searching are allowing content owners to do just that. It is not worth the pain of getting caught, so what to do?

Start by using a reputable web site design firm. They should be able to assure you that they have secured the rights to any intellectual property they use on your site. If you intend to write the html code for yourself, there are a lot of resources for licensed images. Microsoft has assembled a large collection of clip art. They provide free and pay images in the library. They also provide links to some for profit image, sound and service sites including:
� Royalty Free Music
� iStockphoto images
� PresentationPro
� NVTech 3D images
� Screen Beans
� Indexstock
� Animation Factory
� PhotoObjects

There are a number of business models employed by the sites above so be sure you read carefully before you sign up. A simple Google search for free clipart might sound tempting but it reveals the dark underside of the net. You will find a bewildering array of click generation sites and other scams in those search results.

Some of photo licensing firms aggregate the production of many photographers for sale. A good example is PhotoSearch.com. If you have a favorite artist you may try contacting him or her for permission as well.

Artwork is for sale at many software firms for as little as $30.00. These collections usually provide a license for use if you purchased the CD legitimately.

And my friend Bill at Newarking.com would pillory me if I did not mention the option of creating your own images. A good digital camera can be purchased for around $500, and image editing software has gotten as cheap as free, in the case of Google’s Picassa program. That leaves very little excuse if it is photos you need.

The content of your website should write itself from your knowledge of the business you are in and the customers you deal with. If you are looking for just the right wording for a form or data presentation you should look to get permission from the owners. Think again of those who provide templates that are explicitly free or otherwise licensed. Microsoft – am I showing my MS bias? – provides a number of business and other written and presentation templates in an effort to support Microsoft Office. Google Documents does the same in support of Google docs.

It is a good idea to be careful about your intellectual property these days. The law is in the middle of a multi-billion Dollar tug of war and you don�t want to get caught in the middle.

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