Copyscape
November 14, 2011
Copyright ©, Intellectual Property Information
Copyscape is an online plagiarism checker and detects duplicate content.
Copyscape is a free public service to address copyright infringement and plagiarism.
Anyone can copy your website content and claim it as their own. It is up to you to find out whether someone has copied your content without permission.
Copyscape provides a free online search facility for plagiarism online. Copyscape identifies instances of content theft.
Copyscape also offers professional services for more advanced needs.
Copyscape also provides a forum to share experiences, post questions and tips.
Copyscape © 2011 Indigo Stream Technologies.
Visit: www.copyscape.com
The Da Vinci Code
November 7, 2011
Copyright ©
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 novel written by Dan Brown.
The title of the novel refers to, among other things, the fact that a murder victim is found in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre, naked and posed like Leonardo da Vinci’s famous drawing, the Vitruvian Man, with a cryptic message written beside his body and a pentacle drawn on his chest in his own blood.
The novel is part of the exploration of alternative religious history. The central plot point is that the Merovingian kings of France were descendants from the bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.
The novel became a worldwide bestseller that sold 80 million copies as of 2009.
In 2006 Columbia Pictures released a film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.
Copyright Infringement
August 2005 – Author Lewis Perdue accused Dan Brown of plagiarism from his two novels, The Da Vinci Legacy and Daughter of God. He sought to block distribution of the book and film. Judge George Daniels of the US District Court in New York ruled against Lewis Perdue.
April 2006 – DanBrown won a copyright infringement case brought by authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, who claimed that he stole ideas from their 1982 book Holy Blood Holy Grail for his 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code. Mr Justice Peter Smith found in Brown’s favor.
Russian scientist and art historian Mikhail Anikin accused Dan Brown of stealing the title “The Da Vinci Code” from him.
March 2007 – Random House publishers won an appeal copyright infringement case. The Court of Appeal of England and Wales rejected the efforts from Baigent and Leigh, who became liable for paying legal expenses of nearly $6 million USD.
How to Copyright my Music?
September 13, 2011
Copyright ©
Copyright protects original musical works. It allows an original work to be considered a property that is owned by someone.
No official form of copyright registration is necessary in South Africa and the UK. All original music is protected by copyright from the time it is recorded / written down in some format. All you need to do is prove that you are the creator of the musical piece, and that you own the copyright of that particular work. To prove this we suggest the following:
- Record the musical work on video, tape or CD with date and time. It is important to preserve evidence that your work was in existence at a certain date.
- Send a copy of the recording to yourself by ‘Special Delivery’.
- Keep the proof hidden in a safe place.
- Store a copy with your solicitor, bank manager or Attorney.
Please visit the following page for the official copyright information:
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COPYRIGHT
Contact Details for Smit & Van Wyk:
Tel:
+27 (0) 12 349 7800
Fax:
+27 (0) 86 619 0493
E-mail:
enquiries@svw.co.za
Physical Address / Courier
Block A Apex Corporate Park
Quintin Brand Street
Persequor Technopark
Meiring Naudé Avenue
Pretoria
0184
South Africa
Image source: www.freedigitalphotos.net
How to Copyright my Photographs?
September 13, 2011
Copyright ©
Copyright protects all photographs. The moment a photo is taken and saved onto film or memory disk, the person who took the photo immediately has full copyright ownership over that photo.
No official form of copyright registration is necessary in South Africa and the UK. All photographs are protected by copyright from the time it is taken and saved. All you need to do is prove that you took the photo in order to own the copyright. To prove this we suggest the following:
- Set your digital camera to name photographs accordingly.
- Keep the negatives hidden in a safe place.
- Store copies of your photos in a safe place.
Copyright registrations in the U.S can be filed through the United Stated Copyright Office by a copyright attorney.
Please visit the following page for the official copyright information:
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COPYRIGHT
Contact Details for Smit & Van Wyk:
Tel:
+27 (0) 12 349 7800
Fax:
+27 (0) 86 619 0493
E-mail:
enquiries@svw.co.za
Physical Address / Courier
Block A Apex Corporate Park
Quintin Brand Street
Persequor Technopark
Meiring Naudé Avenue
Pretoria
0184
South Africa
Image source: www.freedigitalphotos.net
Copy Rights & Moral Rights
September 6, 2011
Copyright ©, Intellectual Property Information
Copy Rights & Moral Rights
Copy rights are the set of rights which are automatically assigned to original creative work including literary works, photographs, computer programs, program carrying signals, broadcasts, dramatic performances, music, sculptures, and paintwork.
With the exception of cinematographic films for which copyright registration is done, copy rights are automatically assigned once a work takes tangible form. Ideas cannot be copyright protected unless such ideas are in material form.
Copyright
The owner of a copyright, in the case of an author who has agreed to the publishing of his or her book, has certain moral rights apart from the normal copyrights automatically assigned. One such a moral right is the right to be associated with his or her work.
Thus, the author retains the right to have his or her name on the cover design of the book. In addition, the author can specify which name should be used.
If a publisher omits the author’s name from the cover page without the author stepping down from the right to acknowledgement, infringement of the moral rights of the author takes place.
Another one of the essential copy rights which form part of author moral rights is the right of the author to object to any changes and distortion of their work which could harm the integrity of the work and reputation of the author.
Copyright as such is far more complex than most people realize. The above are examples of moral rights of authors which can also extend to for instance, musicians, painters and photographers.
Copyright Owner
The copyright owner can license or transfer copyright to other parties. Transferring such copy rights refers to transfer of intellectual property ownership and must be done in writing. With licensing the author gives permission for publishing, usage, distribution, and selling of a work in return for royalties.
Copyright must be indicated in the license agreement and the full terms and conditions stipulated.
Contact us at Smit & Van Wyk for legal guidance regarding copyright, assignment and licensing thereof, and registration of such in the case of cinematographic films.
Contact Details for Smit & Van Wyk:
Tel:
+27 (0) 12 349 7800
Fax:
+27 (0) 86 619 0493
E-mail:
enquiries@svw.co.za
Physical Address / Courier:
Block A Apex Corporate Park
Quintin Brand Street
Persequor Technopark
Meiring Naudé Avenue
Pretoria
0184
South Africa
