Copyright Trolls Threaten Your Ecommerce Business

Your website probably has pictures on it. It may also have video as part of the plan or to assist in the selling of products. The use of these items is critical to show your customers exactly what the item looks like or the product's functions. However, all too frequently the source of the pictures or movie isn't properly documented. This opens the door for"Copyright Trolls," a term that's used to refer to a business or person that buys the copyrights to works and then engages in an effort to attempt and profit from possible breach through intimidating need letters.

This term doesn't refer to someone who's making legitimate claims for use of a photograph which might have been copied from a site illegally. The two typical kinds of Copyright Trolls are (1) people who try to scam people by intentionally placing their functions out online as"free" and then afterwards demand money for their own use, and (2) people who buy another firm's rights (typically a company which owns a great deal of copyrights in photographs ) and sends out blanket need letters to those using the photographs to see if they could demonstrate that they paid to use the videos or photos. Some strategies may be legal and some are performed through misrepresentation.

See our products:

What Do the Trolls Hope to Get?

Money, of course. A normal demand letter will request $1,500 to $2,500 since it's going to most likely cost more than that to hire a lawyer to fight the claims. Owners of registered copyrights have very strong rights to recoup damages and the Copyright Troll is gambling that you didn't carefully record where the photographs or movie came from and what your conditions of usage are for those products. Registered copyright owners' damages aren't restricted to only the actual damages they can prove. The statute permits them to collect damages in the sum of $7,500 to $30,000 per function as the court may decide, even if you didn't mean to infringe the owner's rights. If the usage is determined to be intentional, then the award of damages can be increased up to $50,000 each work. Additionally, the copyright owner may recover their attorney fees for suing you, which may add a considerable amount to the damage award. These trolls use this statutory language to intimidate people into paying the lesser amount they need.

How Can You Protect Your Site from Copyright Claims?

Document all pictures and video used on the site, including all photographs used in Flash. All video and photos used in the design of your site have to be recorded, even if only parts of a photograph or movie are used or if they've been changed during the development procedure. You need to list all information relating to this photo or movie, such as where the photos came out, the photographer, the date you first used the photograph or video, the conditions of your use of this photograph or movie (your license agreement) and the date that the permit expires. You need to print out and document all of your license agreements in 1 place and make note of the photograph or video to which every license agreement applies.

Summary

If you employ someone to take photographs or video for you, you want to record the transfer of the rights to you and the conditions of your use of these products. Under copyright law, the photographer owns the copyright interests unless those rights are transferred in writing. Consequently, if an independent contractor creates something for you, you need to either obtain a license agreement to use it or receive an assignment of the ownership rights in the photograph or video. Each item should be carefully recorded and filed so that in case you get a demand letter you're ready to defend their claims.

See also:

https://www.connectpos.com/best-retail-sales-tips/

https://www.connectpos.com/low-cost-marketing-strategies-for-small-businesses/

https://www.connectpos.com/best-payment-methods-for-ecommerce-by-connectpos/

https://www.connectpos.com/top-4-social-media-for-selling-online/

https://www.connectpos.com/used-pos-system/

https://www.connectpos.com/top-4-technologies-to-increase-customer-engagement/

https://www.connectpos.com/case-study-global-vapors/

https://www.connectpos.com/omnichannel-marketing-strategies-for-retail-stores/

https://www.connectpos.com/6-best-free-shopify-apps/

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Payments, Payment Rails and Blockchains and the Metaverse

Faire Launches Brick & Order Podcast for the Retailer Community

Faire Partners with SHOPPE BLACK in Support of Black-Owned Firms