The internet perhaps made it that much easier to copy and use other artists work and ideas, but it definitely wasn’t a pioneer enabler; as copyright laws may very well prove to be highly restrictive, their enforcement is extremely problematic. Let’s face it- even when you’ve got the law by your side, unless we’re talking about a huge financial damage, most of us will probably avoid taking legal actions. The chances of us preventing someone else from using or stealing our ideas and content are slim to non, especially when they are presenting it as an inspiration / reference to our content.
Classic copyright infringements
When it comes to original content the lines are easily blurred; how can one clearly distinguish what’s considered copying as opposed to simply inspired by?
Too many similarities? Or is it completely different whilst utilizing the same ideas? Way before we had everything available on display with a simple online search, copyrights battles were still making headlines; in 1963, the Beach Boys composer and leading singer, Brian Wilson, used the recognized chords of Chuck Berry’s ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ and created the hit song ‘Surfin’ USA’ that dominated playlists around the world. Wilson claimed his hit is actually a tribute to Berry’s amazing rock-n-roll legacy, but of course Berry’s lawyers saw things differently… it was the first major copyright breach in rock history that made such huge waves, no pun intended, and ‘Surfin’ USA’ publishing rights were ultimately transferred to Arc Music- Berry’s publisher. Berry’s name however, wasn’t credited until three years later.
Who’s there to offer protection for the unprotected?
Big companies and major labels can fight off any copyright infringement via highly secured firewalls and lawyer up to facing any intellectual theft head on, but what about small companies and individuals uploading their content online? Who’s there to help them? Lawless online paradigms also allow big sites to redefine their own copyright laws; for instance, Facebook deciding to grant preferential treatment to premiered videos rather than copied links. The result are breathtaking, big and small pages alike seeking to acclaim these Facebook benefits, downloading and re-uploading content from YouTube and other sharing sites. By doing so Facebook created a copying culture that deprives creators any ability to monitor and benefit from their content. Any video that was once ‘shared’ is now simply copied and all creators can do is sit aside and watch while their content is getting a million hits.
What can you do about it?
Today no one stands alone; your problem probably concerns millions! So no one is saying a single user can change what huge labels, film studios etc. couldn’t, this isn’t an online modern Don Quixote version. However, technology innovative system called NKOR is here to start offering creators solutions rather than keep challenging them with more hitches. The future is already here and it’s all about the natural order of original content! By using NKOR platform and adding it on the blockchain, content creators can verify authenticity of their work and prevent others from distributing.
To learn more check out NKOR: http://nkor.io
or join the telegram group: https://t.me/nkorcommunity