Twelve Laws Every Blogger Should Know

Saronai

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Wow, that's quite a list. Some I'd already heard of, others...kinda make me want to delete my never-been-used-anyway donate button because I'm afraid I'd need a lawyer I can't afford just to be confident I wasn't going to get sued from working class to poverty...or have all my money taken away in one fell swoop if I ever become rich and famo--what? It could happen! It could!

Guess I'll start by doing a legal tab to my blog. I think the majority of my liabilities and such might be covered under wordpress' since I blog for free from there. I also heard about the pictures thing but didn't know where I could go for free pictures so I often end up drawing/taking/using my own. So I'm fairly sure I'm clean there too...hopefully. The feature art on my site, at least, I know is legal. I commissioned it personally and made sure I had the artist's permission to use it however I like so long as I wasn't selling it directly (such as using it for a book cover and the like).

I can't afford licenses and LLCs and stuff, so I'm just going to have to keep my nose clean in the other areas, report the miracle donation if it ever happens, and cross my fingers.
 

D7ana

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Thanks for this information. I think I am okay as far as deeplinking goes - I state that such and such can be expected at insert link. But I might take greater care just in case the reader is not clear that I am referencing another site.
 

mjwauthor

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Thanks for this info. There was so much there I did not know :) I put an extra copyright notification on my blog as I post short stories and novel excerpts that I do not want stolen.
 

Jbecker

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That is a lot of information! I had no idea. I started my blog a few months ago and it has been slow going, but I am so glad I read your list of warnings. Thanks for compiling it all!
 

Marykathywendy

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Whew, think I'm OK, but I was worried after reading all the comments. Good stuff, even if it isn't up to date.
 

simplifye

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Good grief, I never knew all the legal issues involved. Everything has to be so complicated now, doesn't it?


But the article was very informative, from what I could understand :tongue

Ditto That - I guess in an age that has more laws on the books than anyone could possibly remember, we have to be aware of pitfalls like these. And I thought my biggest challenge was coming up with new ideas for posts! Sheesh!! Good article, thanks for threading it.
 

Snowstorm

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Great post, Dawno! Thank you. I had thought about putting the copyright on my new blog yesterday, but decided not to. Well, it's on there now. A lot of good information to consider.
 

Bedrock_Fred

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You have done everyone a service posting this.:hi:

Mine has been active for almost two weeks(suprisingly large # of followers already) and after reading that, it occured to me that I forgot to add a copyright notice on a couple pages.
 

kydelaney

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Good info, but I have to agree with the majority of the posters that my blog posts are mostly ramblings and I'm not worried about anyone taking them.
 

NateSean

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If you're being paid, or a public figure/celebrity of some sort, then perhaps the need to worry, but otherwise this seems overkill.

I know you made this post ages ago and I have no way of knowing if you'll read and/or reply to this. But I thought I'd throw my two cents in for the benefit of any current posters who may or may not read this thread.

It's a good point that being something of a "bottom feeder" no one will likely find anything I've written valuable enough to steal.

That being said, if someone did steal from you, would you be able to prove it? It's like that time when flood insurance seemed like a useless expense until that one time out of a thousand that a hurricane made it far enough inland to trash your house.

Of course, from what I understand of copyrighting, it is a legal process involving red tape and paperwork. So throwing a "(C) 2014" is no more legally binding than sending yourself a copy of your blog in the mail.
 
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Jon W

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I know you made this post ages ago and I have no way of knowing if you'll read and/or reply to this. But I thought I'd throw my two cents in for the benefit of any current posters who may or may not read this thread.

It's a good point that being something of a "bottom feeder" no one will likely find anything I've written valuable enough to steal.

That being said, if someone did steal from you, would you be able to prove it? It's like that time when flood insurance seemed like a useless expense until that one time out of a thousand that a hurricane made it far enough inland to trash your house.

Of course, from what I understand of copyrighting, it is a legal process involving red tape and paperwork. So throwing a "(C) 2014" is no more legally binding than sending yourself a copy of your blog in the mail.

Placing a (C) 2014 probably has the same effect as someone putting an empty burglar alarm outside their outside - does nothing in effect but might be enough to put some people off stealing your work, for the short term at least.

On a side note, considering that the OP is 7 years old, is there an updated version knocking about anywhere?
 

Mairzy Dotes

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Good thread. I started a blog and within six months it was facing subpoena for IP information on commenters by a federal and local LE agency. Nothing that I blogged about, it was all about the comments and I think that's what gets lost in blogging is that you don't only have to consider blogging content but also the comments you receive.
 

swaver

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Great share, thanks. You’ve heard the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, but when that picture is protected by copyright, the picture is only worth three words: cease and desist.
 
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The following is not legal advice, and is written for information purposes only. Consult an attorney if you wish to receive legal advice.

If you consult a guide regarding copyright, there are a few points you will find relevant to this discussion:

1) In the United States, by creating an artistic work, you are given copyright on it for the term of your life, and this will be reciprocated by countries with bilateral treaties with the United States and by countries who have signed the same copyright conventions as the United States (Berne, UCC, etc.). In the United States, you are not required to register your work and you are not required to place a notice for copyright protection. Copyright protection is automatic. No red tape required, and this is legally binding. However, if you wish to receive certain payments for damages, some courts may require that a complete copyright notice have been made on the work to prove that innocent infringement did not occur. This brings me to number 2:

2) Always include a copyright notice on anything you make artistically. A full copyright notice requires a year, the word "Copyright" or abbreviation "Copyr.", the symbol ©, the name of the owner, and the statement "All rights reserved". An example would be "Copyright © 2015 by the Bossard & Lemcke Publishing Ltd. Co. All rights reserved." However, this does not ensure you will receive all possible damages for infringement, as some courts also want you to have registered the work with the United States Copyright Office. While this notice is not required under United States law for protection against continued infringement, the aforementioned notice is required in some countries with different copyright laws, and enforcing infringement overseas may become significantly more difficult if a complete notice with all parts is not included.

And, finally 3) The placing of the letter C inside parentheses, such as in "(c)" or "(C)", is not recognized by courts as a replacement for the actual copyright symbol "©". If you cannot make the copyright symbol on your keyboard or from Alt codes, it takes a simple engine search for a website with the symbol included to copy it from and then paste it in your work. A few minutes to write a proper copyright notice with the proper symbol may mean significant results in settlements and enforcement for the future, for the protection of you and your creation(s).

I hope you have found this information useful.
 
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Adniel Lenal

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Intriguing link... Just started blogging recently. Will take a closer look at this as a considerable source.