Innocent Copyright Infringement
An issue has come up related to a couple threads, and someone was banned, so I thought I would quickly address the issue of innocent copyright infringement.
What is this?
When YOU can be sued because of copyright infringement by SOMEONE ELSE.
Here are a couple examples:
You have a reseller hosting account and one of your customers uploads a bootlegged copy of a WSO, Iron Man 2, etc.
You buy a PLR package and it turns out the articles were ripped from someone else.
In either situation a person is demanding that you do something. Such as removing your customer's files from your hosting service. Or removing the PLR articles from your website.
Even though you are not the one engaged in the intellectual property theft, you can be the subject of a lawsuit because that is the means by which the property owner can prevent the further distribution of their works.
* That is the issue some people miss.
Initially, then, the person engaged in copyright theft can be sued for damages and an injunction to stop their activity. You can also be sued for an injunction to keep you from distributing the articles, movies, etc., even if your possession / control was entirely innocent. Even if you paid money for the PLR and are yourself a victim.
If you ignore a DMCA take down request, then you can open yourself up to also paying damages because now you are no longer so 'innocent.'
What is this?
When YOU can be sued because of copyright infringement by SOMEONE ELSE.
Here are a couple examples:
You have a reseller hosting account and one of your customers uploads a bootlegged copy of a WSO, Iron Man 2, etc.
You buy a PLR package and it turns out the articles were ripped from someone else.
In either situation a person is demanding that you do something. Such as removing your customer's files from your hosting service. Or removing the PLR articles from your website.
Even though you are not the one engaged in the intellectual property theft, you can be the subject of a lawsuit because that is the means by which the property owner can prevent the further distribution of their works.
* That is the issue some people miss.
Initially, then, the person engaged in copyright theft can be sued for damages and an injunction to stop their activity. You can also be sued for an injunction to keep you from distributing the articles, movies, etc., even if your possession / control was entirely innocent. Even if you paid money for the PLR and are yourself a victim.
If you ignore a DMCA take down request, then you can open yourself up to also paying damages because now you are no longer so 'innocent.'