Copyright and Graphic Design

Copyright is the legal exclusive right of the author of a creative work to control the copying of the work or the making of works derived from the original. Some examples of creative works are visual works like illustrations, photographs, and graphic designs, written works like books, articles, music and plays, recorded works like music and movies, etc. Every creative work is automatically copyrighted the moment it is fixed in tangible form. There is no need to register it. The copyright symbol, year and person owning it may be put on the work, but it doesn't have to be to be protected. The copyright owner owns the copyright for his/her lifetime, and then his estate owns it for 70 years after his death.

Scanning and using someone else's images in your work without permission is derivative, and is a copyright infringement in the following ways: First, the act of scanning it violates the person's exclusive right to copy it. Second, the act of putting it in your work violates the person's exclusive right to make works derived from the original. Third, each time your derivative piece is printed or displayed, the person's exclusive right to distribute the work is violated. Just because artwork or photos are on the Internet and easy to copy, doesn't mean you can copy and use them without permission.

Copyright is the legal exclusive right of the author of a creative work to control the copying of the work or the making of works derived from the original. Some examples of creative works are visual works like illustrations, photographs, and graphic designs, written works like books, articles, music and plays, recorded works like music and movies, etc. Every creative work is automatically copyrighted the moment it is fixed in tangible form. There is no need to register it. The copyright symbol, year and person owning it may be put on the work, but it doesn't have to be to be protected. The copyright owner owns the copyright for his/her lifetime, and then his estate owns it for 70 years after his death.

Scanning and using someone else's images in your work without permission is derivative, and is a copyright infringement in the following ways: First, the act of scanning it violates the person's exclusive right to copy it. Second, the act of putting it in your work violates the person's exclusive right to make works derived from the original. Third, each time your derivative piece is printed or displayed, the person's exclusive right to distribute the work is violated. Just because artwork or photos are on the Internet and easy to copy, doesn't mean you can copy and use them without permission.