Brands and business owners around the world can use social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Facebook to keep in touch with their target audience and share user-generated content. This visually appealing content could include images, videos, written works, and reports. Social media platforms enable the sharing of many media types on the Internet. This is the case where social media becomes an open battlefield for Copyright Violation. Businesses post content on social media for marketing and advertising purposes. Businesses sometimes overlook the possibility of being sued if they post copyrighted content online, even though they are involved in the creation of relevant, useful, and engaging content. You can prevent copyright infringement lawsuits by being a diligent business owner. Here are some tips:
1. Before posting anything, always seek permission.
This is the simplest and most straightforward way to ensure that the content you share does not infringe on someone’s copyright. You only need to contact the owner of the content and ask permission to share it on your social media accounts. This applies to all types of material including photographs, text, audio and visual, as well as audio and visual materials. It may not be possible to find the original copyright holder in all circumstances, especially if you stumble across the content on platforms where people re-share stories and photos from other sources. You can share the link but it won’t help your business as it will point to another website. It is important to remember that bloggers and website owners may limit the number of words or characters they can copy without violating their copyright.
2. Do not believe that crediting the owner will remove copyright infringement
This is a common mistake people make on their social media pages and business pages. They post photos and audio or video content and credit the owners by mentioning their names or linking to their official social networks accounts or websites. Although crediting is an intelligent and thoughtful act, it does not remove liability. Even though you credit them, copyright owners could still sue you for sharing their content.
3. Watermarked stock photo previews should not be considered.
A watermark on photos is a sign that you are not professional. You are publicly advertising the images and highlighting the fact you did not pay for them. In this situation, stock photo website owners could also bring legal action against you and/or your business if they discover that your Intellectual property was being misused.
4. Encourage your followers not to violate the copyright
It is important to avoid copyright infringement when launching contests through social media platforms. Asking your followers and fans to record themselves singing a popular song, recreating iconic news images, or celebrity portraits is a serious case of copyright violation.
5. Do your research on hashtags and taglines
Before you use a phrase or word in your hashtag marketing campaign, make sure it isn’t a copyright or trademark of anyone else. There are celebrities and companies that own copyrights to certain phrases in the digital age. If you don’t know whether a phrase is allowed to be used, don’t use it. Last, but not least, any license that you buy corresponds to a particular piece of content must be understood by you. You may be permitted to perform a song at an event hosted by your company. However, this does not necessarily mean that you can share the recordings of the event on YouTube.