Legal Issues  «Prev  Next»

Lesson 2Copyright issues in Internet culture
Objective Identify when material is eligible for copyright protection

Copyright issues in Internet Culture

Copyright Standards


Protected Copyright


Publication for Copyright
E-commerce transactions create unique copyright issues as digital content is transmitted over the Internet. Digital content may take the form of words, videos, music, and terms of use and privacy policies that are commonly found on Web sites. Provided this digital content is an "original work",it is the appropriate subject matter of copyright protection and federal registration in the United States Copyright Office.

Federal Copyright Law


Copyright notice

Copyrighted material, such as a Web page, is typically branded with a standard copyright notice. This commonly known string of elements alerts readers to a protected work. You are no longer required to attach such a notice to your work, but it is wise to do so. Copyrighting the material on your site can help prove your ownership if you find your content is being used on someone else's Web site, and helps discourage infringement of your material. If you would like to protect your email communication, a copyright notice on your email messages can be useful. For example, "Please do not forward this message without permission" should be legally adequate and will be honored by most recipients. Learn about the four basic parts of a copyright notice by examining the three examples in the following SlideShow.



In the next lesson, how to determine if using someone else's work is permitted will be discussed.