Social media is a great way to connect with friends and
family, as well as network professionally and promote brands. It is also a
great way to share ideas, photos, opinions and products. But, what if someone
stole something that you posted online, without attributing credit to you?
Most online users don’t think about their intellectual
property until it is too late. As an online user, it is important to understand
each social media platform’s Terms of Service before posting intellectual
property that you want to protect. Publishing and posting your intellectual
property on social media platforms shows that you “essentially permit these
platforms to use whatever you publish online and license that material for
their own commercial benefit” (Powers 2012). More importantly, you don’t get to
reap the benefits of having others use your IP.
So, how can you protect your intellectual property from
social networks?
It’s simple. Watermark you images with a copyright symbol (or your logo) on
professional images and use the copyright symbol on written content that you
post online. Taking the necessary precautions will alleviate other online users
and third parties from using your work.
Source:
Powers, Matt. 2012. Growth University. Cause for Concern: Intellectual Property Rights and Social Media. http://www.futuresimple.com/blog/cause-for-concern-intellectual-property-rights-and-social-media/
(accessed March 2, 2013).
