Copying A Video Salesletter - Copyright Issues

Hi Snow Predator,

This is useful and worth your time to read closely for the future of your business depends on it.

Copyright Infringement Penalties

It is not just the copyright it is the "INTENT".

You INTEND to COPY IT. Your mention of "vague intellectual property laws" can land you in jail or get a really stiff fine, not to mention get your hosting banned -- if you do NOT understand your liabilty. And can tarnish your reputation which is something you can NEVER get back!

I am working with a client right now whose IN HOUSE DESIGNER copied a WELL-KNOWN Warrior's sales letter design, graphics and affiliate banners. (See below for more on how I know this to be true.)

The client is a decent guy. He was NOT aware that the designer just ripped off the Warrior Member's site.

The site that was ripped of is an extremely profitable site, (and if I mention the name EVERYONE would know who I am talking about.) This is a high producing sales letter that is extremely well known and made hundreds of thousands of dollars.

(NOW REST ASSURED: ONCE I FOUND THIS OUT I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE CLIENT: I am going to do a redesign of this site next week because the client is really worried about this now. But the damage is already done -- the images are already indexed in Google and if the creator knew about it he could cause a problem for this client...)

How did I find this out?

I was asked to do some design changes to the sales letter I wrote for him. His IN HOUSE designer placed my copy inside his WP template. When I went into WP to make some small changes I discovered the stolen images. And then I dug deeper and found the affiliate banners were ripped off too.

The designer was so dumb he left the file names and all the images with the ripped off site's name! In fact the banner and the affiliate images still had the original site's images under the new logo in the PSD files I had access to.

Now when I notified the client of what the designer had done he was appalled!

But to be honest -- as far as the courts are concerned...

You could have ALL sales you made from this site forfeit to the original creator of this content --- ONCE HE FINDS OUT AND HAVE TO GIVE HIM ALL THE MONEY YOU'VE EARNED FROM IT, AND PAY FOR DAMAGES AND MAY EVEN GET JAIL TIME!)

So is it worth it? Heck NO!

Does this happen often? Yes!

As a copywriter I am ripped off on occassion, (that I find out about it anyway...) but I usually add a "COPYSCAPE" image and tag my copy and designs so that I can find people who are stealing my work --- first, I send a NICE CEASE AND DESIST NOTE. Then if they don't comply they hear from my lawyer in small claims court. There are NO second chances.

Even for the client that I am working with now that did NOT know what his designer did, he is STILL on the hook for this (he could get sued for this) as his name is on the final product and the images are already indexed in Google.

So "INTENT" and 'INTEND" are a really "bad" words that can easily get you in trouble...

My client did not "intend" to rip off this other site. But his designer did. Since he employed the designer and paid him for his work who do you think will get sued? The guy that holds the domain name that this site is published on that's who!

(BTW the IN HOUSE designer quit last week, and that was all BEFORE my client knew about this last little problem...)

Now think of it this way...

If you had a super successful launch how would YOU feel is someone RIPPED your site, VIDEO SCRIPT or graphics off?

That's what I thought...

Now you CAN ETHICALLY SWIPE a sales letter or video script but it is the MANNER in how you swipe it. Which means you can make a work that has a similar theme or intro or ending but do NOT swipe the WHOLE thing and just change it to your niche.

That is swiping it with INTENT TO STEAL IT AND PROFIT FROM IT.

You would want TO COMBINE SEVERAL VIDEO SCRIPTS TOGETHER TO MAKE IT MORE UNIQUE.

That would not be a blatant copy...

Many copywriters use copy from the old master copywriters to write new copy.

I use my video scripts from previous clients as the THEME OR outline on how I am going to write a new one. But I combine it with several of my video scripts to make it unique. That is what you need to do to be an ethical marketer and businessman.

FIGURE IT THIS WAY... WHAT IS YOUR REPUTATION WORTH?

Your business and your reputation are worth spending the money on to stay out of hot water aren't they?

Hire a copywriter to rewrite the script you created so it is unique and will sell.

Your reputation and any legal entaglements are not worth the risk.

Good luck rewriting your video script!




Copyright infringement is the act of violating any of a copyright owner’s exclusive rights granted by the federal Copyright Act. There are three elements that must be in place in order for the infringement to occur.

1. The copyright holder must have a valid copyright.
2. The person who is allegedly infringing must have access to the copyrighted work.
3. The duplication of the copyrighted work must be outside the exceptions.

The legal penalties for copyright infringement are:

1. Infringer pays the actual dollar amount of damages and profits.
2. The law provides a range from $200 to $150,000 for each work infringed.
3. Infringer pays for all attorneys fees and court costs.
4. The Court can issue an injunction to stop the infringing acts.
5. The Court can impound the illegal works.
6. The infringer can go to jail.

Copyright infringement is the act of violating any of a copyright owner’s exclusive rights granted by the federal Copyright Act. There are three elements that must be in place in order for the infringement to occur.

1. The copyright holder must have a valid copyright.
2. The person who is allegedly infringing must have access to the copyrighted work.
3. The duplication of the copyrighted work must be outside the exceptions.

The legal penalties for copyright infringement are:

1. Infringer pays the actual dollar amount of damages and profits.
2. The law provides a range from $200 to $150,000 for each work infringed.
3. Infringer pays for all attorneys fees and court costs.
4. The Court can issue an injunction to stop the infringing acts.
5. The Court can impound the illegal works.
6. The infringer can go to jail.