Assert copyright and get paid (maybe)

Here's a link to interesting article and video on how a blogger asserted his copyright for a plagarized article and got paid $500. A

photographer could take the same approach for a stolen picture.

 

http://www.allamericanblogger.com/21327/how-to-assert-copyright-over-your-work-when-its-been-plagiarized-video/

<p>There is a flaw in the article you cited. It states that "<em><strong>[p]lagiarism is the act of taking someone else’s material and passing it off as your own</strong>.</em>" It then states that "<strong><em>all copyright violations involve acts of plagiarism</em></strong>" The second statement is inaccurate. Copyright violations can and often occurs when the creator of the work is acknowledged as such. </p>

<p>The author that is quoted several times in the article is not a lawyer. That doesn't mean that she isn't capable of talking about copyright law, but there are no references to the actual law. Also, she is Scottish, which limits the value of her comments to the Americans here, if they are based on Scottish law. The incident in the article is in the US, but it's about plagiarism, and John points out the difference.</p>

<p>While the internet may well be the wild-west, when dealing with newspapers asserting your copyright will often result in a settlement. Newspapers make a living from words and pictures and as a result have lawyers who understand copyright. They know that a reasonable settlement is always going to be a lot cheaper than even dealing with the threat of court (plus the bad press associated with using someone's photo without permission) - As this case shows http://www.karikuukka.com/la-times-et-al-do-you-have-to-suck-the-sweat-out-of-my-balls-now-that-i-am-dead/</p>

<p>Hi Ben, thanks for the link! I have a friend who once was quite active on PhotoNet (and other sites). Over the years many of his images were taken and used without his permission in various commercial pursuits. He has recently informed me that he is receiving a very handsome income from pursuing these copyright violations.</p><p>I tend to think that if more of us were vigilant and pursued copyright violations of our work, the internet would not be looked upon so readily as the "free, do what you will" zone.</p>