There is no doubt that the social media has come up with a lot of opportunities for the bloggers, citizen journalists and others who are looking for avenues to share their ideas and stories. Unfortunately, the same media has led to a great violation of the intellectual property. From Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, the social media has to infringement of other copyrights.
Here are some of the basic things which you should know when you are participating in the social media.
Transformative use
The social media should be used in a transformative way but not in a derivative way. This means that you should add something new to the original material or content. For instance, one can add ingredients to a recipe or do some adjustments to the cooking process. When you are working on art, you can ahead to criticize or praise it or even comment on the message conveyed by it.
Fair use
One must understand the terms ‘’fair use’’ when participating in the social media. This is
very important when it comes to the copyright laws. This rule allows you to use the material produced or prepared by other people such as music, photos, art, ideas, articles, and videos. You are only allowed to use portions of it instead of using the entire work which has been copyrighted. Other people’s work can be used for research, news purposes, teaching or criticism. The whole idea is being fair when using other people’s work. You should always avoid copying other’s people’s work.
Attribution
This involves giving credit to the owner of the original material before using his or her material. Attrition is given to the original owner or author of a message or a quote, the composer of a song, the name of the photographer even a virtual artist.
For the online material, a link should be included which is related to the original content. The copyright laws are meant for protecting the creator’s market. These producers should be protected from exploitation.
About Pinterest
Very many people use Pinterest on a daily basis. Many conversations have been sparked about copyright law by Pinterest. Pinterest’s users are supposed to follow the rules described above. Pinterest has been likened to Napster by some experts meaning that one might face some risks for using the site.
Safest bet
This means getting permission when using other’s material. The copyright owner should be given credit when using his content. It is always wise to obtain permission from the copyright owner to avoid the risks associated with infringement.