Common Ground and Copyright

The fear we all have is that some or all of our ideas might be taken from us when we post them online. As writers it is our place to understand copyright and keep up with laws and protections to help us.

Most of the samples I post are just that, incomplete stories and novel portions, offered to get a taste of my writing and style. I don't think anyone would complete the same story the same way and it was be a sure give away if someone tired. I learned through teaching Adult Education that given the same writing prompt, you get a vast amount of variation.

Copyright is simple. "Anything completely original that you put on paper or in bytes is automatically copyrighted. It is yours; anyone copying it is infringing upon your copyright. But if you have innovative ideas, people may want to take them." There is a resource page if you need to read more about copyright and protection. Personally, if you don't want someone to steal it, don't post it or show it online.

The other aspect of the issue that I think is interesting as a media web publisher is the Creative Commons license. "The Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others legally to build upon and share. The organization has released several copyright licenses known as Creative Commons licenses. These licenses, depending on the one chosen, restrict only certain rights (or none) of the work." It is an interesting concept as we move from print to digital. If you notice my personal blog now has the Creative Commons mark on it. It protects the information there. While it was protected under copyright, why not make the point clear.

Recently, Ursula LeGuin got into a stand-off with a web writer about using her writing without permission. It is quite in-depth. While on the surface it may seem like petty squabbling, these agreements and statements that protect our writing need to be defended. Read more about it here.

I think it is safe to say that if you think something is so valuable or so different that people will steal it, leave it off the web and don't hand out copies. Yet, be professional and understand the dynamics of the profession before assuming that all literary agents are stealing your ideas, that all lit mag editors are waiting for your story so they can rewrite it and sell it, or that writing awards are where things get swiped from under your nose. Be proactive, protect your work, and stay informed about copyright and protection of your creative entities. It is all part of the professional writing life.