Why is copyright important?
Content creators – such as authors, musicians and artists, invest their own time, resources, blood, sweat and tears to get their work published. It’s not that they don’t want us to enjoy it; after all, that is why they created it right? All they ask is that they get the deserved credit for their work and are able to earn a living from it if they wish.
Copyright gives them this right.
From a content user’s perspective, copyright provides us with a set of guidelines that enable us to access and share published material in a way that is fair and acceptable.
Basic Principles
- Copyright applies automatically when something is created
- The © is only a reminder and not a requirement
- Everything that is created is protected by copyright, including:-
- Print material – books, journals, magazines, newspapers;
- Computer Programmes;
- Dramatic performances – plays, choreography, film scripts;
- Music – compositions, sheet music, performances;
- Art – drawings, paintings, maps, charts, diagrams and much more;
- Page layouts
- Copyright lasts beyond the author’s lifetime … lifetime plus 70 years
For more details on copyright click here.
