Big Myths about Copyright

Myth 6-10

6. “As long as you make some modifications, you can use it.”

If relevant elements of the final product are quite close to the original work, the copyright law is violated, even if entire portions have been changed or rearranged.

7.”They can't get me, defendants in court have powerful rights!"

Copyright law is mostly civil law. If you violate copyright you would usually get sued and may not be charged with a crime.

8. "They e-mailed me a copy, so I can post it."

To have a copy is not to have the copyright.

9. "It doesn't hurt anybody -- in fact it's free advertising."

It's up to the owner to decide if they want the free ads or not. Don't rationalize whether it hurts the owner or not, ask them.

10. "Oh, so copyright violation isn't a crime or anything?"
Actually, recently in the USA commercial copyright violation involving more than 10 copies and value over $2500 was made a felony. So watch out.