The hot topic on many business-related email discussion lists for the past while has been website content theft, both text and graphics. Either there seems to be a rash of this dishonest and unethical behaviour or web site owners are just finding out that their treasured works have caught the eye of others who feel it is okay to use them as their own.

They say that imitation is supposed to be the greatest form of flattery but, take it from someone who has found their web site content appear on someone else’s site, it darn well ticks you off to see your hard work being used by some one else as their own. You work hard to come up with what you include on your web site and are probably more than willing to allow some of it to be paraphrased by others but when the culprit doesn’t even ask permission, you get that “heads will roll” feeling inside.

What can be considered copyright material?

The World Intellectual Property Organization (which is “an international organization dedicated to promoting the use and protection of works of the human spirit”, includes the definition of copyright on their web site, which reads, “Copyright is a legal term describing rights given to creators for their literary and artistic works.”

With regard to copyright in relation to the Internet, WIPO has established two treaties, which outline, among other things, that each country “provide a framework of basic rights, allowing creators to control and/or be compensated for the various ways in which their creations are used and enjoyed by others.” More information on WIPO and its mandate can be found on the Copyright and Related Rights page of their web site.

For a complete definition of copyright and to read the Copyright Act in Canada, visit the Department of Justice Canada web site.

For a complete definition of copyright law in the US, visit the Library of Congress web site.

Oh, and the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary lists the definition of copyright as:

Noun : the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, and sell the matter and form (as of a literary, musical, or artistic work).

What is theft?

Speaking of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, they define THEFT as:

Noun: 1 a : the act of stealing; specifically: the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it; b: an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property.

Theft of web site content and/or graphics can be considered copyright infringement.

The MW dictionary also defines infringement as:

Noun: 1: the act of infringing: VIOLATION; 2: an encroachment or trespass on a right or privilege.

On the next page of this article, Janice Byer explains how you can discover if your web site content has been stolen and what you can do about this kind of copyright infringement. Click to continue on to page 2.