"Questions about copyright vis a vis Blockchain publication"
As a young man, I wrote a song, I paid to have it copyrighted.
During that time, and even now in times since then, I've been told that "you can place a copy of something in an envelope and MAIL it to yourself or someone you trust, and as long as the envelope seal was unbroken, that post mark date on the envelope serves as your proof that you indeed, were the author/composer of the work enclosed."
Should you find your work copied and claimed by someone else, or Plagiarized, you would have your letter as proof that you wrote it first.
So now, I'm wondering.
I am told that everything you and I write and post here in Steemit, is forever encrypted and encoded in the Blockchain.
So, by placing my name, the © symbol and the date on my writings, is the Blockchain record of my writing, tantamount to a copyright?
If I found someone had copied my works and published them elsewhere, could I use this electronic record as a means of proving my ownership of the material?
This is my way of asking an open question of those who know more than I do about this new [to me] medium of expression.
I would appreciate any serious input and commentary.
Thank you in advance.
©7/30/17
Seems logical, but how can you prove you didn't copy someone else's material and post it here, only to have someone else post your already copied work elsewhere. What a pickle.
Yes, that is a conundrum, I hadn't thought of that.
the blockchain is quite secure as proof of earliest known existence. when you publish on the blockchain there is timestamp. sooo... it is strong evidence in your favor if you are shown to publish a work one day, and then a month later someone publishes elsewhere, probably the earlier work came from the actual owner.
Thanks again @inquiringtimes, I really do appreciate the input; I feel much more secure now.
Think of all the times I've posted on FB with only the time/date that I put there as proof
exactly - be the first. steemit posts come up in google search...
Thanks my friend ♥
Great point, Jerry!
I think the only question is, does the blockchain carry the same weight as a postmark? I believe it would, it may just have to be established in the courts. Meaning someone has to have something plagiarized and then pursue it legally ;)
Thank you @underground, I see that there are several other comments as well, one of them seems to be saying that it is indeed a copyright, but I've started with your comment first.
Thanks Jerry! Good to see ya again :D
Good to see me again? You must remind me where we met before, if you were in tsu, did you have a different handle? I am terrible with names. :(
yes it is.
I discuss the very thing here:
https://steemit.com/patents/@builderofcastles/patents-the-real-story-of-the-most-evil-creation-of-govern-cement
for patents.
You actually never had to pay for a copyright to have a copyright. You just paid to have it archived. So, if you want to copyright your work, you put your name, the date and ©.
Whether that means anything is based on how many lawyers you have.
But, the steemit blockchain can prove exactly when you stated your claim. As immutable block.
Thank you @builderofcastles, I feel better now. I use CC/Creative Commons images, or original, or given permission to use, and I always put the ©7/30/17 (for instance) on any original writing.
Thank you again.
Here's my understanding of the issue (in US law), though it may not be 100% correct...
We all have copyright to the things we create at the time of creation. It's inherent. The envelope trick is often referred to as "poor mans copyright" and while it may help establish some evidence, it's not actually very strong in courts as it's not very tamper proof. Time stamped computer files, website records, and certainly blockchain content would all be much better in my opinion!
Paying to register a copyright gives certain benefits. 1. It places the burden of proof on the other party. So if you sue someone for infringement you wouldn't have to prove they didn't create the work... they would have to prove they did. It basically gives you an advantage. 2. You have to have the copyright registered to collect damages. So if you've just done the envelope trick, or have your work recorded online and someone infringes your copyright, you'll have to prove they did, and will only be able to get them to cease infringement, but not necessarily pay you damages or any profits from the infringing work unless you've registered.
So I say get the work out there, let the world know it's yours, and if successful enough and you can afford the expense, consider registration down the line.
Thank you @bryan-imhoff, very succinctly put. I think you may have something. As I stated in another reply, if I had to pay legal fees and court costs to pursue someone who infringed, unless it were worth a lot, I wouldn't be able to afford it
Thank you for raising the question! I just finished reading the Steemit whitepaper. Under the section "Shifting Toward Blockchain-based Attribution" on page 43 they discuss this matter briefly. (https://steem.io/SteemWhitePaper.pdf)
I myself decided to value the timestamping and proof of original work quite high. It's the reason I moved to Steemit in the first place!
Thanks also to the many good comments. Keep steeming :-)
It's a very interesting point you make. I too was told the story about mailing a copy to yourself as a way of proving intellectual ownership, but I think using a blockchain could be an even better way!
At this point, though, I think public knowledge and lack of regulation makes it an uncertain thing to rely on however. You'd have to bring it to court, provide technical experts to convince a judge/jury and then hope for a verdict that will create legal precedent for situations like this. I do think it would be very good for the cryptosphere if blockchain were used for this purpose.
Thank you @pandorasbox, I had the feeling that this would indeed, be a way of proving ownership, but if I had to pay for a courtcase and legal fees up front before I saw any return from said case, I would probably let it go, unless of course the faker were making millions
Thanks for raising the question Jerry and giving us the idea of using the blockchain for copyright purposes. I am going to start doing this myself for any original work I publish here. It may not yet have legal precidence, but I think it does have some merits. Thanks!
I'm happy to have struck a cord with so many folks, seems it was a question waiting to be asked and answered. Thank you for the comment @fraterralph
Important questions to ask, to be honest copyright law is quite complicated and if you had the time or money to do anything about an infringement you would need proof - original file and meta data from camera containing date and time stamp.
In the past, and still current technique i suppose, copyright could be acquired by send a post dated package to yourself through the mail without ever opening it.
So what we perhaps are really talking about is intellectual property...
Hi @satchmo, it seems that the majority of comments so far agree that this (blockchain) would actually be more tamper proof than a letter or package mailed to oneself.
Thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate the help. ♥
Your follower :), and i like your posts. i see you also vote up ? @ronaldmcatee
Why are most of the posts on your profile grayed out @ronaldmcatee?
No matter @ronaldmcatee, someone said it was because you'd deleted those posts, but a shell will always remain, that is what I am seeing.
I've followed you nonetheless.
Good night.
that means they were downvoted into oblivion
OIC...thank you for that explanation @inquiringtimes ♥