From the course: Working and Collaborating Online

Responsibly use content you find online

From the course: Working and Collaborating Online

Responsibly use content you find online

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- [Instructor] Even though it's become easier and easier to access information and content on the web, including everything from our favorite songs to funny videos, to instructions on how to solve a homework problem, it's important to be responsible with the information we find online. When someone posts their original work online, they are the owner of that content and they have certain rights, usually considered copyrights, which allow them to decide how that content is used. This content includes their words, images, music, videos, and more. If it's their original content, they are the copyright owner. So if, for example, you were putting together a cookbook to sell online, but you don't have the photos of food that you need, you might think it's okay to use a search engine to find photos to illustrate your cookbook. But in most cases, this is not a fair or responsible way to use the information you find online because photos belong to the creators and can't be used in your own work, unless the creator specifically grants permission. If you want to use someone else's work in a product you're selling, you should always obtain permission from the content creator. You might have to pay for a license to use someone else's content, or they may offer their content in exchange for giving them credit in your work. For example, if you use someone's photo in your cookbook, you would credit the photographer when publishing their photos in your book. So even though you can use search engines to easily find videos, photos, essays, and so on, that doesn't give you permission to use them in your own work. Make sure to do the responsible thing and contact the content creator for permission. It's the ethical thing to do, and it can also help you avoid legal troubles down the road.

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