The Dmca Copyright Agreement Protects All Forms of Online Work

In 1997 U.S. Laws were put into place to protect those who post material on the Internet. These first controls with known as the No Electronic Theft' Act.

To further increase online safety The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was created to strengthen the intellectual rights of those individuals who post material on the Internet. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed through U.S. congress October 12, 1998 and signed into law October 28, 1998 making individuals who unlawfully plagiarize online material financially liable for their actions.

Plagiarism occurs when you use another persons work without their permission. You can pretty it up, use what you believe is a good excuse, or just claim naivety but plagerize, plagarize, plagerism, plajerism it is still plagiarism no matter how you spell it. It can be all too easy to copy and paste, improperly quote, or intentionally plagiarize the material on an online website. Sometimes this plagiarism occurs because of a lack of knowledge as to how an article or image should be properly cited. Occasionally the plagiarism is intentional. No matter what the circumstances are the act of plagiarizing or improperly quoting an online article, photograph, or image, can get you into one big bad mess of trouble. It is theft and it is not acceptable. It can also leave you financial liable for the use of this material. No matter how you spell it - it is still plagiarism. 

There is a right way and a wrong way to copy and paste or quote another person's online article. Always read the complete web content to see if the author, artist, or photographer has listed any instructions as to whether or not they will allow their work to be used elsewhere. If you cannot find anything listed on the website which says that you are free to use the work then consider the work off limits for you to copy and paste elsewhere.

When you wish to create a direct written quote from a website: a) Never copy and paste large sections of the article. It is generally acceptable to quote about 200 characters or two lines of text from an online article with a credit and link back to the source. Any more than this amount can be considered by the author or creator of the content as plagiarism.

b) Always clearly link back to the original article. You must in no way misrepresent the work as your own. You are always required to provide a link back to the original article, generally within or immediately before or after a quoted text. There is a right way and a wrong way to cite another persons online work and it is very important that you know which is which.

Photographs And Illustrations Are Also Protected
Cite your source of information. Even if you do not use a direct quote, but instead simply garner information from an article, then you are still responsible for citing your source of information. You can usually do this by providing a link to the article at the foot of your page under the heading "Sources". Don't think that you can copy an article and simply change a few words in each sentence to call it your own creation. This is known as article spinning and it is still categorized as plagiarism. Writing is much more than just regurgitating information you have previously read. To create a unique article on a topic that has been previously written on you will have to use creativity and ingenuity.

You should discover distinctive new keywords for your articles as this will give your article uniqueness and a better chance of garnering traffic. These unique keywords can help to produce a niche for your article and will also aide to its individuality. Try to find at least three sources for your articles as this will show you the different ways in which the topic can be discussed and hopefully also a couple of unique viewpoints on your subject. Garner as much information as is needed to enable your article to stand out from the others. List your sources or provide a link back to them. If In doubt - Don't do it.

Don't simply presume that an online illustration, photo, or other image is free for you to use. Online photographs, pictures, drawings, and other images all fall under the DMCA copyright agreement act. These images are not available for you to copy and use on your site unless the website they are placed on specifically states that you many use them. 

Generally any photograph or illustration that is available for copy and paste will hold a creative commons license on them stating that you are able to use them in some way. Be absolutely sure that you follow these guidelines exactly as they are expressed by the contributor. If you can find no mention of a creative commons license or information stating that the image resides in the Public Domain then consider the image to be off limits. You should not copy or use this image in any way, shape, or form.

Don't be discouraged when searching for images as there are many ways still to acquire online photographs, pictures, and other illustrations. Many pictures fall into the category of public domain and these are completely free for public use. There are also now many AI (artificial intelligence) sites which allow you to create your own unique images there. If you are usig images from a free image site ie: Pixabay.com be sure to link back to the site that provides you with the free photos or images. It's the professional thing to do and to be a truly good writer one should write and quote professionally at all times. The majority of my images are from Pixabay or are originals that I've largely created using AI.

Writing online, creating a website, or sharing photographs, illustrations, and art on the internet can be a fun pastime and also can be potentially profitable. Know the rules when you do and respect the creative works of other writers and artists. Please do not copy and paste, improperly quote, or intentionally plagiarize this article. I would really appreciate it.

If you find your work plagiarized discover who is hosting the website so that you can send in a DMCA copyright notice to have the website removed for plagiarism of your work.

Important Links to Help Protect Your Online Work: