Common Examples of Copyright Infringement

Musical works

Musical worksDuplication of a CD or other recorded media containing copyright material without permission of the copyright holder may be a form of copyright infringement, dependent on local laws.Unauthorized downloading of copyrighted material and sharing of recorded music over the Internet, often in the form of MP3 files, is another form of infringement, even after the demise of Napster and a series of infringement suits brought by the RIAA.Bootleg recordings are musical recordings that have not been officially released by the artist or their associated management or production companies. They may consist of demos, outtakes or other studio material, or of illicit recordings of live performances. Music enthusiasts may use the term “bootleg” to differentiate these otherwise unavailable recordings from “pirated” copies of commercially released material, but these recordings are still covered by copyright despite their lack of formal release, and their distribution is still against the law.Sampling of copyrighted music for use in other works without permission is also a form of copyright infringement.

TV and Film

Promotional screener DVDs distributed by movie studios (often for consideration for awards) are a common source of unauthorized copying when movies are still in theatrical release, and the MPAA has attempted to restrict their use. Movies are also still copied by someone sneaking a camcorder into a movie theater and secretly taping the projection (also known as “camming”), although such copies are often of lesser quality than DVD. Some copyright owners have responded to infringement by displaying warning notices on commercially sold DVDs; these warnings do not always give a fair picture of the purchaser’s legal rights, which in the US generally include the rights to sell, exchange, rent or lend a purchased DVD.Promotional screener DVDs distributed by movie studios (often for consideration for awards) are a common source of unauthorized copying when movies are still in theatrical release, and the MPAA has attempted to restrict their use. Movies are also still copied by someone sneaking a camcorder into a movie theater and secretly taping the projection (also known as “camming”), although such copies are often of lesser quality than DVD. Some copyright owners have responded to infringement by displaying warning notices on commercially sold DVDs; these warnings do not always give a fair picture of the purchaser’s legal rights, which in the US generally include the rights to sell, exchange, rent or lend a purchased DVD.

Text

The unauthorized use of text content can be a form of copyright infringement. It is common on the world wide web for text to be copied from one site to another without consent of the author. Roberta Beach Jacobson criticizes the misappropriation of writers’ work by websites in her article Copyrights and Wrongs. This article was added to articlestree.com[8] on November 27, 2001; ironically, it has since been copied to hundreds of websites, many of them claiming copyright over the work or charging money to access it.The unauthorized use of text content can be a form of copyright infringement. It is common on the world wide web for text to be copied from one site to another without consent of the author. Roberta Beach Jacobson criticizes the misappropriation of writers’ work by websites in her article Copyrights and Wrongs. This article was added to articlestree.com[8] on November 27, 2001; ironically, it has since been copied to hundreds of websites, many of them claiming copyright over the work or charging money to access it.Worldwide collaboration to fight copyright infringementServers enabling internet-based copyright infringement are often based in countries with less strict copyright laws or enforcement history. SCSI spokesman Todd Meyler has said the lax copyright laws in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet countries made it hard to crack down on copyright infringement there. Copyright holders are collaborating to fight this activity, through lobbying governments and other means.