Digital or electronic content, such as e-books, photographs on Web sites and electronic databases are subject to the same protections under the U.S. Copyright Act as non-digital, traditional or paper-based works. In addition, some specific provisions relating to digital content were established in the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

It is a common assumption that online content is not copyright-protected and therefore it may be freely used and modified without permission. This is not true.

Many people also believe that if a Web site does not contain a copyright notice the content contained on that site is not subject to copyright law and may be freely used and modified without permission. As outlined in Copyright 101, this is also not true.

When considering copyright law and protection as they relate to digital content, common assumptions are often incorrect. The fact is that almost all content on the Web or in any digital or electronic form is protected by copyright, and you must obtain permission from the copyright holder to re-use it.

Printable version of this page