Big or small copyright infringements are very expensive & can wipe you out

[bobsilber]

If you are violating someone's copyright, using pictures, products, or text, that someone else owns, it can wipe you out. If the expense of trial doesn't break you the verdict may. Nobody likes their intellectual property stolen.

Stealing or using something that isn't yours just isn't worth it. If it isn't your original work, you better Know where your intellectual property came from. I have Internet marketing clients that have run into copyright infringement problems because they outsourced their work to the wrong person. Don't let that happen to you.

Facing the music: $1.9M verdict stuns Minn. mom

Facing the music: $1.9M file-share verdict stuns Minn. mom - USATODAY.com

Do your due diligence.

[Nic Lynn]

Yes, obey the law. Obey copyrights.

Also form an LLC... THAT ALSO rolls up all revenue to a parent LLC.

(yes, get two LLCs).

I bet Bob has some advice here!

[JduncanMD]

Yes, better create an LLC company to protect yourself. Contact some lawyer before even trying to launch your business.

[Tim Franklin]

Definitely, the days of copy paste graphics are coming to an end, people used to think that just because it was posted at a website that they could copy it, and most of the time most people just did not care, not so any longer, as the OP states, you can really get into trouble if your not careful.

I have been preparing for this for a number of years so everything I do is legal and has been for years, in fact, I work with a lot of royalty free images websites with graphics and websites,

[artwebster]

Originally Posted by JduncanMD

Yes, better create an LLC company to protect yourself. Contact some lawyer before even trying to launch your business.

Yes - create an LLC - that way the agrieved party can bring claims against both of you! Is it really so enticing to be in the dock twice - first as CEO or director of the LLC and secondly as an individual responsible for advising the LLC and failing to provide sound commercial instructions?

Don't forget - if your LLC gets a judgement against it, it might then have to sue you for your failure to act correctly, in order to be able to avail itself of the limited liability.

Limited liability only means that the LLC can not have a judgement against directors that is in excess of the capital introduced - that is why you seldom see LLCs sued to the full extent while directors can be sued as both share holders in the suit against the LLC and as executive officers who have failed to comply with their duties of due care.

[Jon Alexander]

offshore it all.

PS - from the article "The recording industry has said it stopped filing such lawsuits last August and is instead now working with Internet service providers to fight the worst offenders."