Wait….I’m Stealing? Copyright laws and creativity!

Have you ever tried posting a video to YouTube or Facebook to only have it taken down because of “Copyright Infringement?” It happens all the time. A simple video that you seemingly created could actually be considered stealing another persons work. This raises the question: What is Copyright infringement? And how do I avoid it? If you are interested in finding out more about copyright infringement, you can research online to check out copyright law to learn more.

Copyright, according to the U.S. Copyright Act, is defined as:

Protection available for, “original works of authorship fixed in an intangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

Basically, Copyright laws allow a creator to:

  • Reproduce copies or phonographs
  • To prepare derivable works based on the original work
  • Distribute copies or phonographs to public by sale or any other transfer of ownership.
  • In the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works, to perform the copyrighted work publicly.
  • In the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, to display the copyrighted work publicly.
  • In the case of sound recordings, to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.

Overall, a creator can distribute and sell their original works anyway they please. The copyright laws protect their works because they are essentially “intangible.” So what does this mean for you?

The U.S copyright law also has a section called, “Fair Use.” This legal document allows for the freedom of expression without harming the business of creators. People that intend to use the works for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research are usually able to avoid copyright infringement. There are four categories that fall under the Fair Use section of the Copyright Law.

  1. Purpose and character of the use, including whether the use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes: Courts will look at the reason for use of the copyrighted works. Usually, nonprofit uses and non-commercial use are considered fair. It’s not always fair, but if you are charged a court will consider this.
  2. Nature of the copyrighted work: Use of unpublished work is usually considered fair. Works used for creative expression will be more difficult to use. Factual and informational works are easier to be used in a fair way.
  3. Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole: The court will look at a work at see how much of it was used. The larger amount of work that is used is less likely to be considered fair.
  4. Effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work: The court will review what damage the use of the work has on it and in the future. This will be considered when trying to decide if use of a work is fair.

The Fair Use law is rather vague and hard to put into use. However, there are some ways to prevent copyright infringement on popular apps.

Instagram

  • Only post your own photos.
  • If you want to repost someone’s photo, tag them and give them credit.
  • The Repost App is a good way to give credit to other pages for publishing their material.
  • If someone uses your work, Instagram suggests you first contact them before reporting the page for stealing your work.

YouTube

  • Content ID is a filter installed into YouTube’s software. This will compare your videos to existing YouTube videos and usually flag you for copyright infringement. Here are some of the ways YouTube works around it:
    • Mute audio that matches their music.
    • Block a whole video from being viewed.
    • Monetize the video by running ads against it.
    • Track the video’s viewership statistics.

Facebook

  • You can give credit to the original page
  • Add a watermark to your works

Copyright laws are ultimately a godsend to the creative world. When you’re posting, consider the above guidelines in order to best respect another creators work! If you are a creative and are worried about having your work stolen, there are Free tools for professional artists that can be used to trace your work to see if it has been used without your permission.

Referenced Works

https://legalvision.com.au/avoid-copyright-infringement-instagram/

https://help.instagram.com/126382350847838

http://www.lawtechnologytoday.org/2016/03/tips-avoid-copyright-infringment/

https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html

When do I post on Social Media? The Social Media Rush Hour!

Rush hour might bring some unpleasant memories into your mind. It’s safe to say most people don’t have a good association with the term. I’m here to show you the term “rush hour” does have a beneficial side. In fact, if you learn to utilize it you can help your page explode with activity. Have you ever noticed some posts get more attention than others? Seemingly for no reason? This is most likely due to the social media rush hour.

What is the social media rush hour? It’s rather self-explanatory. The social media rush hour is the window of time where the most people are going through their feeds. The goal is the be one the most recent posts within your followers feeds during the rush hour.

It’s also important to make sure that all your social media accounts have enough followers to make this rush hour worthwhile. If you are struggling to get followers to your social media, then you might want to consider using something similar to this managed instagram system.

Most of the information presented below is specifically targeted to a USA audience. 80% of the USA population resides in eastern and central standard time zones. With that in mind, it is rather simple to figure out the best window of time to reach your audience.

Each social media app also has its own rush hour. According to the Forbes (Link Below) website, here are the best times to post to each platform:

  • Facebook: 1pm-3pm. Particularly on Fridays and Thursdays.
  • Twitter: The sweet spot is at 5pm. Anytime between 3pm and 8pm is also good
  • YouTube: The worst time to post a new video is 5pm-6pm. Post your video between noon-3pm to catch the later traffic. Activity rises starting Thursday evening through the weekend.
  • Pinterest: The best time to create a pin is from 2pm-4pm in the afternoon. The worst time is from 5pm-7pm.
  • Instagram: (According to entrepreneur.com) The best time to post is 7pm. Specifically on Fridays. If you want to find out how to gain free instagram followers this could a good time to do so.
  • Keep In Mind: Your posts are going to be more successful on the weekends as opposed to the weekdays.

Each demographic is different. These times suggest a general overview of what is best for you and your social media page. This isn’t an all size fits all guide. The smartest thing to do is experiment! Take these guidelines and test them out. Monitor the response you get. Facebook and Instagram collect all the data from your post interaction for you to look at. (NOTE: Facebook only collects interaction data for pages, not profiles. Instagram will only collect data for business accounts. See link below on how to change your Instagram to a business profile.)

Your page might respond excellently to these times! You might also find that maybe your rush hour is at its prime an hour earlier than the suggested time. Experiment and see what you find! Some people even use services that help to link their followers from one of their accounts to another. This could help get more people looking at your social medias and potentially increasing your likes. By placing a link in bio, you’re inviting your followers to view all of your other social media platforms. This might be the answer to your problems, but who knows? Social Media is its own science just waiting to be fully understood!