Opinion: Dangers of infringing copyright lurk in domain of internet

Whether it's music-lovers illegally downloading their favourite tunes, teens copying online essays or art connoisseurs pilfering pictures, most people have used the internet for at least one form of copyright infringement or act of plagiarism - whether they realise it or not.
Ensuring your employees don't commit such an act on (seemingly) your behalf needs to be a key concern of all business owners.
Aside from the obvious legal ramifications, social media is an added consequence that can see those who feel they have been "wronged" muster armies of online defenders that can flood Google with negative search results about your business, and its illegal dealings.
An example of such a case is that of online author Monica Gaudio.
In November this year, Gaudio received a curious email from a friend who had seen one of her articles published in a US magazine called Cooks Source. Being that she had not authorised her article to be used by Cooks Source, she contacted the editor asking for an apology to be printed in their next issue and that $130 be donated to the Columbia School of Journalism for their copyright infringement.
The managing editor of Cooks Source (Judith Griggs) responded by saying: "But honestly Monica, the web is considered 'public domain' and you should be happy we just didn't 'lift' your whole article and put someone else's name on it."
This is an all too common mistake made by someone who should know better.
While I am not a lawyer, it is largely understood that the legal term "public domain" relates to works that do not have copyright protection.
This is generally because they are older works whose copyright has expired, such as Shakespeare's works.
While the internet is a public domain, it does not mean that everything that is published on the web instantly becomes "public domain", in the eyes of the law.
Cooks Source did not have the right to print Gaudio's work without her permission - as her article is her copyright from the moment it was created by her (with or without a copyright symbol or registration).
When Gaudio decided that Griggs response was a declaration of war, she took to her blog to spread the word about the Cooks Source copyright infringement. The fallout was that it became an overnight tale of David versus Goliath, with major media coverage from across the US weighing in to back Gaudio. The Cooks Source Facebook page, Twitter account and website were bombarded by people angry at Griggs' comments and further examples of the magazines copyright infringements began to surface.
With this example in mind, it is important that you take the time to educate your staff, particularly those in charge of your marketing material generation, so that they are aware that copying information off the internet without permission is copyright infringement and can severely impact a business' reputation. Never assume that no one will notice your business "borrowing" content from others.
Wendy Schollum is a webs strategist and Managing Director of Xplore.net Solutions Ltd (www.xplore.net). If you would like more information on using the web to promote your business, join Wendy on Facebook (www.facebook.com/xploreNET), connect with Wendy on LinkedIn (http://nz.linkedin.com/in/xplore), follow the Xplore.net team on Twitter (www.twitter.com/xploreNET) or call 0800 100 900.