Copyright law does not appear to be the most engaging topic to discuss. But it’s far more critical than some of us realize. Without it, we’d be arguing over who owns what.

All of the things we enjoy in life, from the music we listen, the books and magazines we read, everything we watch on TV, and the computer programs were created by people who worked extremely hard. It is our responsibility to give credit where it is due.

Copyright law is probably something we take for granted most of the time.

Copyright law day is an excellent time to think about what the world would be like if the law didn’t safeguard the hard work we put into making content.

Every January 1, copyright law day is observed to recognize the role of copyright law to assure the legitimate use of one’s creations and encourage people to support and uphold copyright laws.

What is Copyright?

According to Google definition, copyright is defined as,

“The unique legal right, given to a creator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical work, and to authorize others to do the same.”

Any author needs copyright because it gives them the legal right to distribute their writings, music, and artistic work to a large audience. As a result, it makes sense to thank the law that allows us to conserve those masterpieces to enjoy their efforts!

History of Copyright Law Day

Originally, the concept of copyright only applied to books. The British Statute of Anne in 1710 was the first copyright statute ever enacted. The United States constitution guaranteed copyrights approximately 250 years ago, in 1787, to promote the progress of science and useful arts.

Even back then, the goal of copyright was to encourage the creation of new works by providing authors control over and profit from their work. Copyrights were typically regional means they did not extend beyond the borders of a particular state.

Copyright usually lasts for the creator’s life plus fifty to one hundred years after their death. Internet piracy, or the unauthorized downloading of works without paying for them, has been a popular means to avoid paying the creators of numerous works in recent years.

Because of the large number of people who engage in internet piracy around the world, this type of copyright infringement is wreaking havoc on a variety of companies. According to a Guardian piece published in early May 2014, the movie industry is currently losing roughly US $20.5 billion per year to online pirates. Illegal downloading has also had a significant impact on the software sector.

How to Celebrate Copyright Day?

The ideal way to commemorate copyright law day is to consider how you may express your gratitude to the creators of a computer program, their literature work, music, or art that you genuinely appreciate. You can simply accomplish this by firmly resolving to always pay for anything and everything they developed that you desire. This means no downloading pirated versions of anything and paying for any product, whether it’s a film, a CD, or any form of software, etc.

Show some appreciation to the creators of everything you appreciate, and encourage your friends and family to do the same! Many people may not view it this way, but copyright infringement is nothing more than robbing creative people of the compensation they deserve for their work.

Why is Copyright Day Important?

Copyright protects your work from being misused

Get national and worldwide protection for your work when you copyright it. This prevents individuals from exploiting your work for any reason without your consent anywhere around the world.

Copyright allows you to profit from your creative work

You have the right to reproduce, distribute, and exhibit your works if you have copyright. You have the option of licensing any of these rights to a publisher and profiting from them.

Copyright promotes innovation

Copyright ensures that people profit from their creative works, so creators are always motivated to create something new.

Facts About Copyright

Here are some interesting facts about copyright!

You don’t need to claim copyright or add a copyright notice to be protected

The copyright symbol is undoubtedly recognizable to you, but you don’t need it to ensure that your work is protected by copyright. You don’t even need to include a copyright notice. Your work is automatically protected as you commit it to paper! However, a copyright notice should still be incorporated so that no one can claim that they were unaware the work was protected.

Volunteers aren’t employees, yet employers hold the rights to their labour 

Your employer owns the rights to whatever you generate throughout your job. On the other hand, volunteers are not workers, which means they maintain ownership of their work, even if it is created while they are volunteering.

The copyright belongs to the person who created the work 

This one may seem self-evident, but it’s worth addressing with your students these facts:

If a buddy borrows your phone and snaps a photo, the copyright belongs to the friend, not the device owner. You may go even further with tattoos; if the tattooist designed and created the tattoo, they hold the rights to it, even if it’s on someone else body! This is because the law makes no distinction between the types of media created. You own the rights to your work regardless of whether it was made on a digital platform, paper, a laptop, or even your body.

Even though copyright infringement isn’t usually a criminal offense, it can nonetheless land you in hot water

With certain exceptions, if the violation isn’t particularly massive, copyright infringement is usually settled in civil rather than criminal prosecutions. However, just because it’s a civil matter doesn’t rule out the possibility of legal action! Civil courts have a lesser burden of proof than criminal courts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When is copyright law day?

Every January 1, copyright law day is observed to honor the role of copyright law to assure the legal use of one’s creations and encourage people to support and maintain copyright law.

Is copyright law federal?

In the United States, copyright law is governed by a federal act, the copyright act of 1976. The copyright act makes it illegal to copy a work of authorship without permission. Copyrights can be registered at the library of congress’s copyright office.

What happens if you break copyright?

Copyright law can be broken by using creative works such as logos, photos, images, or text without permission. All firms must know how to utilize copyrighted materials legally. You could face hefty fines and even imprisonment if you violate copyright laws, even if it’s by accident.

How does copyright protect you?

Copyright can assist you in preventing your work from being stolen. It also enables you to safely spread your work across platforms, giving your message a wider reach. To safeguard that masterpiece, you need to reach out to your audience in the safest way possible, and what better method than to have your copyright in place.

As a result, many authors are grateful for their copyright because it allows them to profit from their hard work while also ensuring the safety and reassurance of their work. Many incidents can happen to your hard work if you don’t apply copyright protection to your work.

Final Thoughts

The law is frequently taken for granted, and many individuals pay little or no attention to it. Copyright law day is observed to urge people to copyright, legalize, and license their work.

Copyright laws are appreciated by authors of all types worldwide, who are grateful that their creativity is protected. But, most importantly, it aids in the development of other authors’ creativity. There would never be anything fresh for us to enjoy if copyright existed.

With that in mind, celebrate copyright law day to appreciate copyright laws and show appreciation for the regulations that allow us to enjoy other people’s innovative ideas.