12
Copyright or Copy Wrong?
There Are Boundaries around Intellectual Property
I think copyright is moral and proper. I think a creator has the right to control the disposition of his or her works—I actually believe that the financial issue is less important than the integrity of the work, the attribution, that kind of stuff.
—Esther Dyson, American scientist
Dear Nan:
My boss and I worked up a pretty great sales presentation. But what helped make it great, I think, is our use of about a dozen photos for which we did not obtain permission. My boss literally said (with a wink-wink), “Go steal something off the Internet”—and so I did. This can’t be right, can it? How much trouble am I in?
—Regretful Pirate, Bismarck, ND
Your instincts are correct—you are a pirate. Arggggh, copyright is treacherous! You may not receive a nasty-gram this time from the owners of those images, but if your sales presentation goes viral, or lands in front of prospects who see lots of presentations, you may wind up with some explaining to do.
I’m no substitute for up-to-date, expert legal advice, so I can only wish to give you the most basic guidelines regarding copyright law. This will show you what to watch out for—so that you can keep your boss and your company out of an embarrassing and/or expensive dilemma. More important, however, I want to keep you from being forced to walk the plank!
This is yet another area to which the personal responsibility of employees today applies. Because administrative ...
