I would like to take this opportunity to briefly discuss copyrighted material and the internet.

Just because images, text, clipart, fonts and code, etc. are on the internet does NOT mean they are FREE to take. Just because you can right-click and download an image does not grant you permission to use it. This also applies to website code. Just because you can “view source” and copy someone’s code, does NOT mean it is free or OK for you to use.

I was browsing the internet today and happened to find a site that is almost an exact copy of mine. Well, the design I had up until a few days ago. The colors are different and, of course, the name at the top is different, but page after page of code was taken from me.

I spent countless hours creating the forms that connect to my shopping cart so my clients can order through my site, the quote request form, and the rest of my pages. This takes a lot of work! Well, it was taken and in use on someone else’s site. Someone who calls themself a “designer”.

So the moral of the story is EVERYTHING on the internet is owned by someone. And you are not legally allowed to use ANYTHING on the internet unless you are specifically granted permission.

And another quick note, there is the idea out there that if you change something a little then it becomes yours. This is NOT true!

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 5th, 2006 at 2:23 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.