{"id":4946,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:49","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/smallbusiness\/intellectual-property\/can-i-place-copyrighted-works-on-my-website.html"},"modified":"2024-05-22T02:19:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T07:19:39","slug":"can-i-place-copyrighted-works-on-my-website","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/intellectual-property\/can-i-place-copyrighted-works-on-my-website.html","title":{"rendered":"Can I Place Copyrighted Works on My Website?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Can I Place Copyrighted Works on My Website?<\/h1>\n
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\n By Taylar-Simone McCants, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Amber Sheppard, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
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Editorial Note: We earn a commission from affiliate partner links on FindLaw. Commissions do not affect the editorial integrity of our legal content.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Placing copyrighted works on your webpage without the copyright owner’s permission could be copyright infringement. But copyright infringement has certain exceptions, like fair use. Many copyright owners offer licenses or issue permissions, allowing others to use their copyrighted works.<\/p>\r\n

Whether you can place copyrighted works on your website depends on the copyright and the copyright owner. This article covers the various issues when placing copyrighted works on social media platforms.<\/p>\r\n

Copyright Law in Cyberspace<\/h2>\r\n

The widespread use of the internet has brought about many questions and problems for copyright owners<\/a>. It also affects the millions of individuals who view, download, upload, and send works subject to copyright.<\/p>\r\n

Because the vast growth of the internet is a relatively recent phenomenon, copyright law<\/a> in cyberspace is still developing. Yet basic copyright principles<\/a> form a good foundation from which to determine whether a particular use of copyrighted materials on the internet does or does not violate the law.<\/p>\r\n

How To Get Copyright Protection<\/h2>\r\n

To get copyright protection, a work must be:<\/p>\r\n

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  1. Original<\/li>\r\n
  2. Creative (though only minimally so); and<\/li>\r\n
  3. Fixed in a tangible medium<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    The work instantly has copyright protection once it meets these three requirements. An author doesn’t need to file anything or put the word "copyright" or the copyright symbol anywhere on the work.<\/p>\r\n

    Yet, filing for federal copyright registration with the U.S. Copyright Office<\/a> provides more protections. The U.S. Copyright Office offers online registration<\/a> for copyrights. All U.S. registered copyrights are public records on the U.S. Copyright Office’s online database. The database is the Copyright Public Records Search<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

    What Does Copyright Protect?<\/h2>\r\n

    Copyright protections apply to literary, artistic, musical, and other creative works. Some examples include:<\/p>\r\n