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Popular misconceptions about copyright
| Misconception: |
"If it is on the internet , it's 'public domain'." |
| Reality: |
A work is only in the public domain when the copyright protection period has expired. Works published on the internet will normally carry a copyright notice. Even if there is no notice, you should presume that the material is in copyright and may only be used (in whole or part) in accordance with any conditions published on the site, for example, computer programs made available under the terms of the GNU licence may be used for non-commercial purposes. If no conditions of use are given, you should contact the owner of the site and ask for permission. |
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| Misconception: |
"If I make a few changes to this diagram/computer code, I won't need to obtain permission to use it." |
| Reality: |
If you create a work based on an existing work, you will infringe copyright . Making a few changes will not disguise the similarity. |
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| Misconception: |
"Copyright protects ideas." |
| Reality: |
Copyright protects only the expression of the idea, not the idea itself. You will not infringe copyright if you copy an idea but give it original expression eg different computer code to achieve the same function, an entirely new diagram to illustrate the same idea. |
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