Listen, lovebug. It’s time we discuss protection. No, not that. I am talking about protecting your intellectual properties. You don’t have to be a writer or blogger to be concerned about protecting your writing. Ever create a blog post on facebook? Who owns it? Stuff to think about. Thanks you, Pete Wise for the helpful post. As more and more content becomes available on the web, copyright ownership becomes more challenging. Information is power. -aa

[dropcap]E[/dropcap]very blogger will speak about their blog like it’s their child, and rightly so. A lot of work, sweat, and tears go into creating a blog that symbolizes you, your content, and the readers you’d like to attract. But no matter the amount of effort you put in, anybody can still come across your blog, copy what they’d like, and put it on their blog as if it was their own. And if that wasn’t bad enough, you might be making the same mistake without even knowing it.

Do I Really Need Protection?

Protecting you and your blog is an important but often overlooked aspect of most bloggers’ jobs. It’s easy to treat legal protection as a “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it” sort of thing. However, it might be too late for you to legally protect you and your work by the time you finally get to that bridge. The following tips are suggestions on how you can protect your blog from infringers and prevent yourself for becoming one, as well. Keep in mind this article is merely for suggestion, not legal advice. Do your own research that’s specific to where and how you blog, and if the water gets too hot, call a lawyer.

You Own What You Write!

First and foremost, you own the words you write. If you’re a self-employed blogger, posting to your own website, and writing original content, you own your work. And therefore, you own the copyrights to your work. For an added layer of protection, you can have your work officially copyrighted by the United States Copyright Office, but it isn’t necessary. Official registration, however, can help you if legal matters do arise and a question of whose words came first come up. But for the most part, you should feel comforted in the fact that you own the original content you’ve created. Also, keep in mind where you are posting your content and who you are posting it for.

If you blog on behalf of a company, your contract might state that they own the content. If you blog on a public website, the terms and conditions you agreed to when you first signed up might state the company owns your content and can do with it as they please. If you’re worried about any of these possible copyright permissions, check contracts, agreements, terms of use, and anything else you agreed to, signed, or otherwise accepted.

As a side note, if you post original pictures onto your blog, meaning pictures you’ve taken yourself, you own those as well…given the same concerns I’ve laid out above.

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due…

Just like you own what you write, other bloggers undoubtedly own what they write. Be sure to respect that fact when quoting fellow bloggers, pasting articles onto your site, and sharing pictures you’ve seen elsewhere. Many bloggers participate in communities and keep up relationships with similar bloggers in their field, and it’s not uncommon to post guest blogs, share each other’s posts, and discuss each other’s topics. However, there’s a fine line between sharing someone’s information and stealing it.

A general rule of thumb (again, this isn’t legal advice; just a suggestion) is that including a few sentences or a paragraph of someone else’s content okay so long as you credit the originator and link back to their site. But generally speaking, copying their entire blog post to your website and giving them credit and links can be considered copyright infringement. Ask the original creator for permission to re-post their blogs, photos, or articles and get it in writing. That way, there can be little question about the status of copyright infringement.

Be Honest And Kind.

You have a First Amendment right to say what you’d like, where you’d like, and how you’d like. But don’t abuse this right. For bloggers, especially those who do so for a company, their freedom of speech does not extend to lying, omitting the truth, stretching the truth, or anything else you’d like to call it. If you claim that your company’s carpet cleaning service is better by 15% that your competitors, then you better be ready to back that up. If you take to your blog to vent your frustration about a particularly nasty client, even if you only told the truth about the situation, don’t be surprised if you get slapped with a lawsuit. Use your blog as an exercise of freedom of speech, not a safeguard for all the mean things you’d like to say.

When To Call A Lawyer.

Even if you follow all the rules and tiptoe your way around the blogosphere, someone can still steal your content and you can still unintentionally steal someone else’s. If it comes down to a question of copyright, intellectual properties, or worse, consider calling a lawyer. Protecting yourself should be your first priority when putting your reputation and your work on the line.

Blogs have become wildly popular for businesses and individuals to use, but they leave us vulnerable when we’re unfamiliar with copyright laws. Protect the content you’ve worked so hard to create by researching the necessary laws that apply to your blog, your website, and any other virtual properties so you can focus on your work instead of worrying about a potential lawsuit at every corner.

Pete Wise is a copywriter working for Carr & Carr whom have been serving the people of Oklahoma and Arkansas for decades, and have never shied away from the hard cases. If you’d like the best Oklahoma City Personal Injury Lawyers on your side just pick up the phone.

More Passionate Living!