 There are no official "copyright cops." However, there are many self-appointed ones who fuss about sharing of materials.  Copyright infringement is almost always a civil rather than a criminal matter.

 Copyright is a legal device that allows artist, writers, or someone who creates an important idea; that gives the creators of these types of work the ability to control how their work is used.

 Expressions  Original ideas  Tangible ideas  Creative ideas

 Ideas and facts that are in the public domain  Words, names, Expressions, or phrases  Blank forms  Judicial opinions  Public ordinances  Administrative rulings

 Allows you to make copies of your work  Sell or distribute the work  Prepare new work based on old work  Can preform the protected works

 Get permission from the owner of the material  Ask your school library for help  Submit a letter requesting permission to use the work

 Short stories  Essays  Poems  Charts, graphs, etc..  Newspaper articles  Chapter from a book

 Criminal Charges  Fines  Maximum penalty:Prison and $500,000 in fines

 Zoom, L. (1998). Legal Info. Retrieved from LegalZoom: legally-happen-someone-commit-copyright- infringement html  College, U. o. (2011, January 28). UMUC. Retrieved from ight.cfm