Copyright ©

Definition:

• Copyright refers to laws that regulate the use of the work of a creator, such as an artist or author. This includes copying, distributing, altering and displaying creative, literary and other types of work. Unless otherwise stated in a contract, the author or creator of a work retains the copyright.

• For a copyright to apply to a work, it must be an original idea that is put to use. The idea alone cannot be protected by copyright. It is the physical use of that idea, such as an illustration or a written novel, that is covered under copyright law.

What happens if you break the copyright

law?

• While there are many consequences of breaking copyright laws, the most common can include

monetary fines, loss of property, loss of freedom or loss of employment. Typically, copyright

law violations involve someone attempting to profit from, distribute or claim material to which they

have no rights. In some countries, copyright infringement — the use of copyrighted material

without permission or the right of ownership — could carry the penalty of criminal punishment and

civil punishment if the copyright owner should choose to file a claim and take the guilty party to

court.

• In almost all cases of copyright law violations, no legal action takes place unless the copyright

owner actively files a legal claim against the infringing party. Civil penalties faced by a person

found guilty of breaking copyright laws might include monetary fines based on the scale of the

violation as well as monetary compensation for time and resources spent tracking and prosecuting

the violation. The court might award additional monetary compensation for consideration of wages

lost by the copyright owner.

• Penalties for breaking copyright laws can often scale in magnitude. A key consideration is whether

the violator attempted to or did receive monetary compensation for the materials.

The copyright owner might also choose to pursue all or only some of the violations in court.

To ensure that I do not break this copyright rule I will have to contact Warner Music Group personally, possibly via email or letter in order to ask permission to use one of their songs in my coursework.