What are the penalties for copyright infringement or breaking the copyright law?

Copyright infringement is when a person copies a work without the author's permission, and the use does not fall under the fair use privileges. When this happens, the copyright owner can sue for damages and profits lost. The offender will have to pay the copyright owner, could owe additional fines, and even serve time in prison. The federal court system will decide.

How do I avoid violating the copyright law?

Always do the following:

1) Take notes from your sources, only writing down key words.

2) Record the bibliographic information before you take notes.

3) Put any direct words or phrases in quotations.

4) Give bibliographic information for pictures and maps.

5) If you are unsure, ask your library media specialist or request permission from the copyright owner.

 

 

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