Copyright, attribution, what it is and why should I care?

Img Credit https://pixabay.com/en/email-keyboard-computer-copyright-826333/

I am an author, editor, photographer, publisher, and public speaker. I have put hours into my work and generate new work several times a day. I have been invited to speak on the topics of role-play games, small business, copyright, self-publishing, and interpersonal communication at venues that include many colleges and San Diego Comic-Con International.

My friends are members of various industries such as bloggers, musicians, digital-artists, programmers, fabricators, sculptors, and actors. They too put hours of time and effort into their work.

We make our living at these professions! Some of us do not go to a "job" and get a paycheck, creating content is our job.

PIRACY

Img Credit http://www.clandarksail.com/promo-images/

As my friend Eben Brooks (http://www.ebenbrooks.com) has said "It's okay to PLAY pirate, but not to BE a pirate."

Piracy is the act of copying the work of someone else, with or without attribution, and using it without their permission. This means, even if you say where it's from, if you don't have permission to use it then you STOLE it.

Why does that matter?

Well, as I said above, I get PAID for my work. That payment feeds me and my kids, puts a roof over our heads and pays the bills. If you're getting paid for my work, I'm not getting paid for it.

Don't you want the "free" advertising?

I love free advertising! Stealing my content is not free advertising, even if you put my name on it. The reason it isn't free advertising is that it costs me the revenue you're making from the 10 seconds it took you to highlight and copy-paste my work. If someone can get my content from you, why should they bother trying to find me? What if your reputation somehow damages mine by association?

If you want to advertise me for free, please do! Do it by dropping my name and links to my content everywhere! Do it by resteeming my post! Do it by writing something original and citing my content as a source! DO NOT DO IT BY COPY-PASTING MY WORK INTO YOUR FEED ... THAT'S STEALING!

Community Thoughts
I would love to hear the communities thoughts on the matter of copyright and what you think about copy-pasting the content of others. Please say something about it in the comments.

Side note
The pirates in the picture above are "Clan Darksail" an acting troupe in the Southern California region that portray pirates at ren-faires, parties, and private events. The image is from their "press" page and I am a member of the troupe. The image is used with permission from the copyright holder Richard Rasner.