Copyright: a List You Shouldn't Myth

Sorry about that title.

Misconceptions about what copyright covers, and doesn't cover, are common. Knowing what's true and what's not about intellectual property rights is important: especially with so much free-floating misinformation, like:

• 'I found it on the Web, and anyway, I'm not charging for it, so copyright doesn't apply, right?'
• 'Everybody's doing fanfics. If I write my own story about Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy, that's not copyright infringement, right?'

Wrong on both points, according to 10 Big Myths about copyright explained, written by Brad Templeton, publisher of an electronic newspaper. Updated in 2004.

It's a pretty good summary of copyright, despite being 3 years old. The author isn't a legal expert, but he seems to have a firm grasp of what's so and what's not.

Knowing about copyright is important for bloggers: especially those whose blogs refer to what other people have written. Although starting with "10 Big Myths" - or using it a sort review - is a good idea, I recommend reading more than Mr. Templeton's page.

Related posts on Apathetic Lemming of the North:

• Copy, Steal, Rob, Whatever: Another Violation of Intellectual Property Rights (August 3, 2007)
• Copyright Infringement, YouTube, and Video Sharing (July 28, 2007)
• Sploggers: Intellectual Property Thieves (July 28, 2007)