Protecting Your Content From Copyright Infringement. Nowadays, it can almost seem like everyone wants to steal your content. The key is not to let them. Copyright infringement happens when someone uploads the contents of copyrighted material without the owner’s permission or uses it inappropriately in a way that violates copyright law.
It can include anything from illegally sharing music on Tumblr to reprinting someone’s entire article on their blog without crediting them as the original author.
While copyright infringement often includes the stealing of intellectual property, such as code or novels, you may also be infringing on copyrights if you sell counterfeit merchandise or use software without authorization.
In Singapore, you can register your work with the Copyright Office. To register, you must submit an application to the Register of Copyrights at the Copyright Office along with a prescribed registration fee and two copies (or more depending on the type of work) of reproductive work.
Even if your work is not registered, you may have legal protection against copyright infringement if your copyright is valid. However, registering will allow you to prove ownership of copyrights in Singapore through official government records. You can also use these records later if needed, such as in court action or any dispute resolution proceedings.
You can also keep proof of ownership (i.e. a copy of the original article) with you at all times so that copyright infringement cannot occur. If you stored the article online in an unsecured or public location or used a program that is susceptible to hacks, there is a possibility that someone may have used your copyrighted material without your permission and you will need this proof to show it was your work.
If you are receiving persistent demand letters from copyright holders, offering money in exchange for removing their copyrighted work from your website, and you respond by threatening to contact the authorities about their letter, then they may be infringing on your copyright by not complying with DMCA provisions as well.
Websites like Pinterest allow users to “pin” images from around the web, so it’s easy to lose track of where you found these images. To protect your content, you should make sure that you are not using someone else’s copyrighted work as a base for your own without getting permission first.
For example, plagiarizing another writer’s work and passing it off as your own could be illegal and leave you open to legal action. The website must be notified immediately if you become aware of any unauthorized use of your copyrighted materials.
Per the DMCA, you are responsible for limiting access to the content that is posted on your website. If another website posts an item from yours and does not have your permission to use it, then you may have legal recourse against that website.
Make sure that you clearly state “no unauthorized use” or that some form of other notice is displayed on each page of your site where users can see it. The notice should include a contact e-mail address or other contact points so that anyone who may have used your material without permission can be instructed promptly to remove it, if necessary.
If you have any other questions regarding rights and permissions, please reach out to us.
To avoid having your work stolen, you should create a limited access site. To do this, you must establish a digital rights management system that locks the content of your site to only allow viewing in the presence of licensing and authorization codes. If people see you or your company benefiting from their hard work, they may file DMCA complaints.
You should also make it clear that it is illegal to copy or steal the content posted on your website.
A DMCA takedown notice is a formal request to take down infringing material from an online source. It states how you are using the copyrighted material and how you are the rightful owner of it. After this, you will provide evidence that the content is indeed your own.
If the website does not remove it, then you can submit a copy of your takedown notice to the host or administrator of your site and they may be held liable if they continue to allow illegal activity to continue.
If the website fails to respond, you can send the notice again. However, sending multiple copies may be considered abusive. After seven days, you can then submit a follow-up notice that informs the other party of your intent to file an official complaint with the host or administrator of the website.
Your email or contact page is a place where people may send you copyright infringement notifications. If you don’t want this to occur, make sure that there is no way for them to submit one.
You should also check your search engine result pages periodically for unauthorized copies of your content and contact their owners directly if they are using your work without considering the legal implications of doing so.
If someone uses your copyrighted material without consent, then you have legal recourse against them as well. You can seek damages from them as well as a permanent injunction against their use of your copyright in any way again.
This also extends to their use of your work on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram where an image or video can be copied and shared by others with little effort.
Many impersonation websites allow people to copy the “public” or “profile” section of your Facebook or Instagram page and post it on their walls, sell it in bulk, or use it for other purposes.
To ensure that you are aware of any use of your copyrighted material on other sites, make sure to change your social media privacy settings so that they are only posted to your profile or page, rather than being public. This will also prevent others from being able to take advantage of your material if they find it online.
By following these steps, you can protect the originality of your work and the copyright of those who create it. Make sure that you are aware of how you can protect your intellectual property rights, and never fall prey to your success by allowing others to steal your work without permission.