As you would expect in a business environment, there are copyright laws in place to protect a concept, process or product from being copied by another company. These rules and regulations are complex and there are quite a few copyright myths that will be debunked in this short article.
You Can Copyright A Name Or Title
Under normal circumstances, a name or title cannot be copyrighted, as it could have numerous meanings. A trademark, however, is protected and once you register a trademark, no one is allowed to use it. If you wish to register a trademark, talk to a lawyer who can facilitate the process.
You Must Have The Copyright Symbol (©) Displayed In Order To Have The Copyright
You would be forgiven for thinking that the above is true, when in fact, the creator of a product, a song or a book, for example, has the copyright as soon as the product is finished. Of course, it is better to go all the way and obtain the legal right to use the ©, but it is not essential that you do. If you can prove that you were the creator of the product, copyright laws apply. In Thailand, Bangkok law firm services include going after a 3rd party who copied your work.
If You Are In A Photograph, You Automatically Own The Rights To The Image
Many people mistakenly think that this is the case, yet it is the person who took the photo who has the legal rights to the image. If you are in a photo that you see on the Internet and you do not wish the image to be published, you can write to the image owner and request that they remove the image. This is at the discretion of the person who captured the image.
You Can Use Any Image On The Internet
This is most certainly not the case; indeed, many websites make their images so they cannot be copied for this very reason. An image might be owned by a 3rd party and they are not bothered if it is copied and used, providing it is a non-profit scenario and some images have a watermark inserted by the photographer to prevent copying.
I Can Use A Photograph After It’s Been Published
Another common myth that we destroy here. Just because an image has already been published, that does not mean it is no longer owned by its creator. Of course, context is everything. If, for example, you copied and pasted an image onto your Facebook page, if there is no money involved, the creator would not have an issue. If, on the other hand, you used an image in your advertising, then they would likely send you an email asking you to remove the image. Failure to do that could lead to a lawsuit.
So, there you have it; some of the myths related to copyright debunked. Hope this increases your copyright knowledge and helps you to navigate the complex world of copyright.