Tips To Protect & Defend Your Digital Assets – A Guide For Freelance Writers
When your freelance writing work is published on the Internet, it is not only open for anyone to enjoy, but it’s also open for anyone to steal. Too many “writers” out there peruse the Internet in search of already published work, make some minor tweaks, and pass it off as their own work of art. If you’re not careful, it’s possible that your own freelance work will be stolen, causing you to not only feel dishonored, but also angry.
In order to protect your own work, you want to use the following tips.
1. Put a copyright notice on all your work
You may not like the way it looks, but placing a copyright on your work can help you prove that the work truly is yours. For example, if you’re writing a blog post simply put a statement such as “Copyright 2013 (or whichever year) {Your Name} All Rights Reserved.” You may not think that a tiny sentence can help you, but it can if your work is ever stolen.
If you are using images or videos you should also make sure to include copyrights on those mediums or consider adding a watermark so that it cannot be copied.
2. Disable copy/paste functionality
Your website contains a functionality for copy/paste in your HTML code. Have your website designer remove this functionality from your site. This way, individuals that come across your site will not be able to copy and paste your content directly from your site.
Yes, if they truly wanted to copy it they could always retype it verbatim. However if someone is looking for an easy way to get copy they may not want to take the time to retype it.
3. Provide instructions on your work regarding repurposing
Adding instructions to your work that provides readers with information on what they can and cannot repurpose from your content is also a great idea. For example if you have a blog, you may want to dedicate a page on your blog to repurposing instructions such as asking that readers contact you for permission before using any part of your work.
You can also include instructions on sharing your content through social media channels or on other websites. The more detailed you are with your instructions, the better protected you will be.
4. Send DMCA notices
If you find that someone has repurposed or reused your content and infringed copyright laws, you can send a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice to let them know that they have infringed against copyright laws and that if they don’t take the necessary steps to correct the situation, they may find themselves in a lawsuit.
5. Sue
It may seem as if we live in a world where people sue other people for no reason, but copyright infringement is a big deal. It’s important to take the necessary steps to protect your rights. If you have sent DMCA notices without success the next step would be to sue someone who misuses your content. The initial court costs are not very expensive, and if you can prove that your work was violated, you could receive a very nice settlement or large sum of money from a successful suit.
About the author: Garrett Payne is a freelancer and avid writer from Dallas.
