Many creative professionals give up their rights to their professional portfolios when they sign employment contracts without realising it.
What “public domain” really means
Have you ever caught yourself arguing that you can use some content you found on the Web because it is in the "public domain"? Don't feel silly if you have even though you likely misunderstood what the term "public domain" means as a legal term which is very relevant to content use.
Using Netflix in South Africa is illegal
South Africans continue to be frustrated by the paucity of legitimate and convenient TV and movie download or streaming options. At the moment DSTV and a limited South African iTunes store are the primary options. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be enough so more and more consumers are looking to popular video rental service, Netflix, for their entertainment needs. The problem is that Netflix content isn't legally available in South Africa and its likely for the same reason that the local iTunes store lacks TV and some movie content: licensing restrictions.
What you should not share online
The social Web encourages sharing but sometimes we share too much. This post gives you an idea of what to look out for and, perhaps, what not to share.
Instagram’s new content license (it still doesn’t own your content)
Rian van der Merwe posted a tweet asking me to comment on the changes to Instagram's Terms of Service: @pauljacobson I thought you might be able to shed some light? b.elezea.com/post/221145426…— Rian van der Merwe (@RianVDM) April 30, 2012 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Rian posted the new license from the terms on his one blog and I took... Continue Reading →
Is Pinterest a den of copyright thieves?
Background A debate whether Pinterest is flouting copyright laws by allowing its users to post, or "pin", images and videos to the site is raging online. If you haven't heard of Pinterest, it is one of the hottest new social networks that encourages users to share stuff they find on the Web. Pinterest's focus is... Continue Reading →
Looking to the left of copyright
I just watched a terrific video interview with Neil Gaiman in which he talks about his experiences with what some may consider piracy on the Web. His story is not new to me and a number of popular authors and artists have had similar experiences including Paulo Coehlo and Nine Inch Nails. The story is... Continue Reading →
