Copyright Advice - don´t say nobody told you!

The latest "Napster" court case demonstrates it clearly, the times when you might have thought the Internet was a law-free zone are well and truley over! So folks, wrap up warm, there are pretty tough times ahead ... the Internet means "world", not India! In India "copyright" is not actually a word you would find in any dictionary.  Otherwise, where would the composers find their "inspirations"??? But the rest of the world tends to be pretty protective about somebody else´s work.
 

1. Photographs - millions of scans are out there on the net, hundereds of photo galleries are online ...

Less than 1% of those galleries actually hold the copyrights for the photos. Everyone else simply steals the shots from magazines or other sites. Whatever the source for the photos might be, publishing images without actually having commisioned the shooting is illegal! So if you are running a site with photos you haven´t paid for but insteadhave found somewhere on the net or have scanned from film magazines by yourself, you are in trouble!
 

2. Audio-Files - MP3, WAV or even RealAudio, no matter what format you choose, all the material is copyrighted stuff ...

If you read the cover of your cassettes, CDs or DVDs closely, you´ll find a paragraph that informs you,that  "unauthorized reproduction, distribution and exhibition" is not allowed. That also includes digital copies spread over the Internet. So if your site offers any sound files cut from cassettes, CDs, DVDs, TV or radio transmissions, you are likely to face criminal penalties. 
 

3. Links - offering links sounds pretty harmless but it isn´t ...

You may wonder why some links to sites offering MP3 files have vanished from our sites? Well, if you offer links to sites that illegaly publish copyrighted material, you are also comitting a crime! In some countries one way of avoiding charges is officially telling everybody who visits your site,that you take no responsibility for the sites you´re linking to - be careful, that only protects you in some countries, not everywhere on earth. And remember, the Internet means EARTH!
 
 

In the end, nobody cares whether you´ve stolen your images/sound files somewhere on the Internet or whether you´ve done the copies by yourself! As the maintainer of a website, you are the "editor in charge" and therefor held responsible for the contents of your site! Don´t be too surprised if some day a lawyer knocks at your door and asks you to shut down your site immediately ... people in USA, Cannada, the UK and Europe will be the first ones to feelthe long arm of justice. "But everybody else is doing it, too!" is not a basis to build a defence case on! Don´t take this too light hearted, the "Napster" case is only the beginning ... don´t say nobody warned you!