Is Copyright an Old Fashioned Idea in the Age of Social Media - Essay Example

Is сорyright аn оld fаshiоnеd idеа in thе аgе оf sосiаl mеdiа? Student’s Name: Student number: Name of the unit: Unit Code: Unit coordinator: Introduction Copyright is the protection provided to authors of original works of authorship not limited to literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works (Strong 2014). Copyright affords protection to original creations of authorship, such as sculpture. Paintings, novels, music, poems, plays, dance, architecture, instruction manuals and software (Olwan 2013). The application of copyright regulations have become harder in this modern age owing particularly to the advancement in technology which has made it easier and cheaper to share information and content through internet-based platforms such as social media (Saint-Amour 2011). In the recent past advances in technology and the internet in particular have reorganised the methods and means of creating, distributing and accessing content. It has created new transmission channels for movie, novel and song creators. But all is not merry as these advancements have also come with their fair share of challenges and one such challenge is that of ensuring that the rights systems, limitations to these same rights and enforcement of the same remains effective and appropriate (Patry 2011; Burrell and Coleman 2005). This essay will argue that that copyright is still relevant and important even in this social media age. The essay will in its endeavours try to achieve this using a relevant example. The issue of copyright is more relevant and important in this age than ever before. There has been growing importance in appreciating and identifying with the ownership of created works especially in this age where content can be shared more freely and faster than any other period in history. This is directly due to the swelling reach and functionality of the internet as well as the mushrooming of powerful and easily accessible web tools such as YouTube, MySpace, Photobucket, Flickr, BlackPlanet, Facebook among others (ASCAP 2008). The ease with which content can be shared and distributed in these ages makes the copyright more relevant and important nowadays than ever (Harris 2013). With the protection of the original works of authors in this modern age will ensure that creativity the young talent needs support and more so financially and copyright will ensure that the creativity of these young talents is supported and this will propel them into creating more for the audience (ASCAP 2011). An example depicting that copyright is essential at this very age is the dispute between Viacom and YouTube where numerous videos of comedy central, cartoon network and others were posted on YouTube without the permission of Viacom. This shows that copyright in the digital era is so important and relevant now than ever before (Travis 2013; Bollier 2011). Copyright is important in that in that it protects one’s original creations. This protection ensures that one is motivated to create more content. Copyright protection provides the legal basis for claiming for damages if the copyright rights are infringed upon (Hoon and Graaf 2006). Copyright protection affords an indispensable incentive for the creation of new valuable works and for the investment into the production of such works. This is because copyright grants economic and moral rights to authors, producers, performers and publishers by having in place a platform upon which these rights can be exercised and presents to creators of content procedures, mechanisms, remedies and sanctions that are pre-requisites for the enforcement of copyright rights (Ficsor 2005). Copyright protection is also important especially in this age as it ensures that the original creator of the content gets to make money as leasing these rights to other individuals creates money for the creator of the content. Under copyright laws one is able to allow others to use his or her works for a fee or one can sell copyright rights to others for a substantial fee and if someone decides to infringe on those rights then with your registered copyright you can seek legal redress and claim for damages. This will ensure that you are compensated financially. Thus copyrights are valuable components for companies and individuals who are engaged in the business of creating content and for that matter original content (Hoon and Graaf 2006). The arrival of the internet has also enabled the ordinary people to become prolific creators of content with patented rights. These individuals have become bloggers, artists and video producers sharing them on internet platforms and having been helped to copyright their works in a cheap and quick way utilising the internet under the platform Creative Commons which provides free tools to allow authors, artists, educators and scientists to limit the freedoms their works carry. It affords copyright owners the means to release some of their copyright rights with the main aim of expanding the sharing of and access to intellectual property (Olwan 2013). With the social networking one can share content online and still retain his or her rights. Sharing your original content online does not void the copyright of you as a creator. Point in case being that of Cassie the singer who decided to share her first single, “Me and U” online utilising the MySpace platform. That act not only propelled Cassie onto the national scene but also became an economic propeller for Cassie because of the retention of the rights of the creator (ASCAP 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, copyrights are more important in this age simply because of the mushrooming of internet-based platforms of sharing information. So as an original creator of content, it is advisable to limit the level of access of your content to foster creativity and monetary gains. Consent of the original creator of content in using his or her work is very pertinent and a strong backbone for both economics and law. Because if consumers are allowed to access original content free of charge, this will harm growth. Thus, social sharing platforms are charged with the responsibility of discerning stolen works and not allowing its free distribution on their networks. As easier as it is for YouTube to filter and restrict the uploading of porn videos that can still be used to restrict uploading of stolen works. References ASCAP 2011, Music copyright in the digital age: A position paper, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Bollier, D 2011, Intellectual property in the digital age, Goodfellows Publishers, Oxford. Burrell, R and Coleman, A 2005, Copyright exceptions: The digital impact, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Ficsor, M 2005, The importance of copyright and related rights for economic development with special reference to the position of SME’s, Center for Information Technology and Intellectual property, Budapest. Harris, L E 2013, Complying with copyright when using social media, Information Outlook, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 29-30. Hoon, E and Graaf, M 2006, Copyright Issues in Open Access, Research Journal, vol. 12. no. 2, pp. 67-73 Olwan, R M 2013, Intellectual property and development: Theory and practice, Springer, New York. Patry, W F 2011, How to fix copyright, Oxford University Press NewYork. Saint-Amour, P K 2011, Modernism and copyright, Oxford University Press, New York. Strong, W S 2014, The copyright book: A practical guide, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts. Travis, H 2013, Cyberspace law: Censorship and regulation of the internet, Routledge, New York Read More