Protect Your Intellectual Property Online

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).