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Artists and musicians have an extraordinarily tough time in the modern age. The internet has made it possible for just about anyone with a computer and some talent to distribute their work and try to make it big. Unfortunately, that’s also exposed them to copyright pirates who look at the young artist or musician as easy prey. If they don’t do something about it, the artists will quickly find themselves out of business when people download their work instead of buying it. Here are some ways you can safeguard your intellectual property online:
Protect Your Rights & Own Your Content
First of all, you need to learn how copyright works. You automatically own any original content you create when it comes into being; however, there may be instances where someone “takes” your work without asking and tries to pass it off as their own. If you find that’s happening, you can take legal action – but only if you have the evidence to back it up.
That’s why it’s important to have a watermark on everything you create. It identifies the work as being yours and provides concrete evidence in case of a dispute. Several software programs can do this for you, and many are free or very low-cost.
Register Your Work with the Copyright Office
To sue someone for copyright infringement, you must be registered with the United States Copyright Office. This is a relatively simple process, and while there is a fee involved, it’s relatively low-cost. The office also offers some other benefits, such as the ability to record your work with them (which can help in the event of a dispute) and the ability to file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notice.
Use a Creative Commons License
If you’re not comfortable registering your work with the copyright office, or you want to give people more leeway to use your work, you can use a Creative Commons license. This is a free way to allow others to use your work within certain bounds. For example, someone might be allowed to remix your song as long as they give you credit; or they might be able to use it for non-commercial purposes only.
There are a variety of Creative Commons licenses to choose from, so be sure to read up on them and select the one that’s right for you.
Host Your Work on a Reputable Site
When you’re ready to share your work with the world, it’s important to do so on a reputable site. This will help ensure that as many people see your work as possible – and that copyright pirates do not steal it.
Several sites offer free hosting for artists and musicians, such as SoundCloud and Bandcamp. These sites have built-in protections against piracy, and they also make it easy for people to find and listen to your work.
Make Use of Digital Certificates
A digital certificate ensures that you are who you say you are. These can be particularly useful when it comes to distributing your work. For example, if you’re charging money for your music, people should know they can trust you when making a purchase. Digital Certificates provide an additional layer of identity verification, making transactions more secure.
This is another area where Creative Commons licenses shine; most of them will help protect against what’s known as “clickwrap” agreements. A clickwrap agreement states that the person agrees not to redistribute your content in exchange for using it (and usually provides some other stipulations).
Protect Yourself Against File Sharing Sites
As mentioned above, there are sites out there whose sole purpose is sharing copyrighted works without permission. If someone gets their hands on your songs and posts them to one of them, they can be redistributed to other file-sharing sites. The pirate doesn’t have to worry about the legal ramifications because the user who downloaded their content will get into trouble – not them.
Final Thoughts
This is why you need anti-piracy protection. Some services act as gateways between your site and various file-sharing / torrent sites; if anyone tries to upload your content without permission, they’ll be denied access. This makes it much more difficult for someone to steal your work in the first place – and if they do manage to get their hands on it, at least you know about it right away.
