Copyright is the legal protection of "original works of authorship". Examples of it is all around us; books, pictures even building designs are legally protected by copyrights. Today many copyrighted items are digital and easily pirated. We also see examples of this all around us in copies of programs or songs shared shared between friends. Even though sometimes these rules can feel excessive and unfair, after seeing it from the developer's view I have now developed a soft spot for the rights of the creators. It seems that according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 if anyone violates a copyrighted work the author can easily sue the person who illegally used his work and get a hefty compensation. However many times this is not true as it could hurt the author and his company if any digital community finds out about it and thinks it's unfair. This has happened to many big companies such as Nintindo and could happen even more easily to a small Indie company.
So how can you protect yourself from infringement and piracy? A good place to start is to consult with a lawyer who can help you decide whether or not to pursue the issue in court. On youtube you can use copyright strikes and Content ID to find and take down illegal videos. Copyrights are all around us and with that come infringement. Copyrights protect our products and make sure game creators can make a profit off of their games if they choose. But with that comes the responsibility to up hold those laws and make sure that piracy does not go unpunished for the sake of the people who worked hard to create an awesome game to play, or program to use.
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AuthorSamuel Henry is a Senior at DSA in NC. He has 3 years of prior experience in the game design pathway and he's looking forward to becoming a great game designer. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools Categories
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