Hi everyone,
I have a few questions regarding the copyright law and whether or not how I should follow them. I'll link any websites I think are relevant to this. This is going to be quite a lengthy post.
TL;DR at the bottom.
The basic copyright rules, at least in the United States, are: When you create any tangible item (ideas and concepts aren't protected), it automatically becomes a copyrighted item. This means songs, art, articles, news reports, written stories, etc. No one else has the right to recreate, distribute, or use your piece unless you authorize them to do so. You can to use someone else's material if they're considered fair use, but that's for the court to decide if you're ever taken to court.
First:
I've been doing intensive research about this, and I can't seem to come to a definitive answer on what I should do. I'm an artist that enjoys drawing characters from different games/shows/etc., but it's apparently illegal to even draw a character you don't own. Some regard this as stealing because I didn't create this character, but others say it's simply an expression of my appreciation for the character. I don't know.
Simply, if you draw, write about, or dress-up as a character you don't own, you violate copyright law, unless a "judge" says that you're use falls under fair use.
Link
Link
Secondly:
I listen to Vocaloid, which is a Japanese voice synthesizer and instrumental covers of, typically, pop songs, and apparently covers are illegal too unless they're authorized. The problem with this, specifically in the Japanese Vocaloid community, is that covers are allowed, even encouraged from what I've seen (Many original artists who posted the song would link an instrumental/karaoke version of the song). Some artist, especially those who have a record label, don't put karaoke versions, so is it okay to cover their songs? Plus I live in the United States, so does this even count for me? Does this even matter since all I'm doing is listening to these songs and not actually producing them? Does this action mean I'm advocating for such possibly "illegal" actions?
Third:
I often use images I find on Google or other source and simply put these as my background image on my computer or my profile picture. Say, I find a cool picture of the ocean, so I think "This is a cool looking image. I'm going to set this as my Skype profile picture!" Again, this is illegal and some even considers it theft.
My problem with all of this is that I feel like society has changed in a way in which the copyright doesn't doesn't encompass these new actions, especially with the introduction of the internet and social media. I'm sure that most artist/musicians/writers/actors/movie writers would not mind at all that they have a fanbase express their love for them through covering songs, drawing fan-art, rewriting their stories. Like, I've always listened to music, used these images, and drew with a cheerful heart, glorifying God.
This is what kind of goes on in my head:
"I want to listen to this awesome piano transcription of this one popular song!"
"Can't do that because you're technically approving potentially illegal actions."
"But it's just a cover and they're not claiming the song as theirs."
"Still they're violating copyright law and you're approving it by listening to it."
"But how would I know if they have permission or a license to cover it? They credit and source the original artist."
"You don't know, and sourcing the original artist isn't a good enough reason for it, so it's best to forgo it than sin."
"I want to draw this really beautiful character from this one show!"
"Can't do that. You don't own the character."
"But I'm just drawing it. I'm not claiming this is my character. I'm just expressing my appreciation."
"Did you get permission?"
"Isn't asking a large company permission to draw a character in a notebook/sketchbook kind of farfetched?"
"It's better to forgo it than sin."
"I want to use this image from the Google as my profile picture because it's cool!"
"Well, you don't have permission."
"Is the original owner really going to care that I used this image?"
"They might. Plus you don't have permission, and this is technically stealing."
"But they still own the image. I'm just using it as a profile picture."
"But you're taking it without their permission."
"That doesn't seem really reasonable to ask permission to do something as simple as using their image as my background/profile picture. My intention isn't to steal."
"Don't do it since you're not sure."
"This video is cool, I want to share it with someone!"
"Do you have permission?"
"No, but it's publicly open on YouTube."
"Only they have the rights of distribution to it."
"How do you know that their content is theirs? What if they violated copyright laws making this video? In fact why are you watching this video if you don't know if they made it legally?"
These are just examples of what goes on in my mind and the reasoning behind it.
Since I have scrupulosity, a severe tendency to analyze down to the littlest of details, and research intensively whenever I have a question. In the end, I'm still usually left confused. I don't even know anymore. Whenever I have a moral question, I pretty much always think of every possible moral perspective there is, and honestly, I'm so worn out. I can't simply do something I doubt because Romans 14:23 (But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.), but my conscious right now isn't really in the right place; I think EVERYTHING I do is wrong or isn't what God wants, so I can't make any decisions and have been forgoing all of these activities.
I've been using the website scrupulousanonymous.org, but even then the advice they give seems short-lived if I do try to take it in. What I've got from the website is that it really boils down to my intention of doing something, and they've all been to glorify God. Even still that doesn't seem good enough.
TL;DR: Copyright is extremely strict, but today's social media and the structure of the internet is structured in a way that we can't simply share a video or draw a character from a show or even cover a song without violating copyright, but it's a lot of this is already socially acceptable that even a good amount original content creators would be fine with all of this. Link
I'm scrupulous and I can't decide if listening to covers, drawing fan-art, or simply using a picture I use on the internet as a profile picture is sinful because the Bible says that I have to follow the law, and the law states that these are technically illegal. I've always done these simple activities with the intention of glorifying God, but that doesn't seem sufficient.
Simply put, I think I'm over-thinking a simple matter. I would really appreciate some advice on this. I've pray a lot about this and I'm just lost and confused and, frankly, very tired. All I'm doing is listening to music, drawing, and sharing videos.
Thank you very much!
I have a few questions regarding the copyright law and whether or not how I should follow them. I'll link any websites I think are relevant to this. This is going to be quite a lengthy post.
TL;DR at the bottom.
The basic copyright rules, at least in the United States, are: When you create any tangible item (ideas and concepts aren't protected), it automatically becomes a copyrighted item. This means songs, art, articles, news reports, written stories, etc. No one else has the right to recreate, distribute, or use your piece unless you authorize them to do so. You can to use someone else's material if they're considered fair use, but that's for the court to decide if you're ever taken to court.
First:
I've been doing intensive research about this, and I can't seem to come to a definitive answer on what I should do. I'm an artist that enjoys drawing characters from different games/shows/etc., but it's apparently illegal to even draw a character you don't own. Some regard this as stealing because I didn't create this character, but others say it's simply an expression of my appreciation for the character. I don't know.
Simply, if you draw, write about, or dress-up as a character you don't own, you violate copyright law, unless a "judge" says that you're use falls under fair use.
Link
Link
Secondly:
I listen to Vocaloid, which is a Japanese voice synthesizer and instrumental covers of, typically, pop songs, and apparently covers are illegal too unless they're authorized. The problem with this, specifically in the Japanese Vocaloid community, is that covers are allowed, even encouraged from what I've seen (Many original artists who posted the song would link an instrumental/karaoke version of the song). Some artist, especially those who have a record label, don't put karaoke versions, so is it okay to cover their songs? Plus I live in the United States, so does this even count for me? Does this even matter since all I'm doing is listening to these songs and not actually producing them? Does this action mean I'm advocating for such possibly "illegal" actions?
Third:
I often use images I find on Google or other source and simply put these as my background image on my computer or my profile picture. Say, I find a cool picture of the ocean, so I think "This is a cool looking image. I'm going to set this as my Skype profile picture!" Again, this is illegal and some even considers it theft.
My problem with all of this is that I feel like society has changed in a way in which the copyright doesn't doesn't encompass these new actions, especially with the introduction of the internet and social media. I'm sure that most artist/musicians/writers/actors/movie writers would not mind at all that they have a fanbase express their love for them through covering songs, drawing fan-art, rewriting their stories. Like, I've always listened to music, used these images, and drew with a cheerful heart, glorifying God.
This is what kind of goes on in my head:
"I want to listen to this awesome piano transcription of this one popular song!"
"Can't do that because you're technically approving potentially illegal actions."
"But it's just a cover and they're not claiming the song as theirs."
"Still they're violating copyright law and you're approving it by listening to it."
"But how would I know if they have permission or a license to cover it? They credit and source the original artist."
"You don't know, and sourcing the original artist isn't a good enough reason for it, so it's best to forgo it than sin."
"I want to draw this really beautiful character from this one show!"
"Can't do that. You don't own the character."
"But I'm just drawing it. I'm not claiming this is my character. I'm just expressing my appreciation."
"Did you get permission?"
"Isn't asking a large company permission to draw a character in a notebook/sketchbook kind of farfetched?"
"It's better to forgo it than sin."
"I want to use this image from the Google as my profile picture because it's cool!"
"Well, you don't have permission."
"Is the original owner really going to care that I used this image?"
"They might. Plus you don't have permission, and this is technically stealing."
"But they still own the image. I'm just using it as a profile picture."
"But you're taking it without their permission."
"That doesn't seem really reasonable to ask permission to do something as simple as using their image as my background/profile picture. My intention isn't to steal."
"Don't do it since you're not sure."
"This video is cool, I want to share it with someone!"
"Do you have permission?"
"No, but it's publicly open on YouTube."
"Only they have the rights of distribution to it."
"How do you know that their content is theirs? What if they violated copyright laws making this video? In fact why are you watching this video if you don't know if they made it legally?"
These are just examples of what goes on in my mind and the reasoning behind it.
Since I have scrupulosity, a severe tendency to analyze down to the littlest of details, and research intensively whenever I have a question. In the end, I'm still usually left confused. I don't even know anymore. Whenever I have a moral question, I pretty much always think of every possible moral perspective there is, and honestly, I'm so worn out. I can't simply do something I doubt because Romans 14:23 (But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.), but my conscious right now isn't really in the right place; I think EVERYTHING I do is wrong or isn't what God wants, so I can't make any decisions and have been forgoing all of these activities.
I've been using the website scrupulousanonymous.org, but even then the advice they give seems short-lived if I do try to take it in. What I've got from the website is that it really boils down to my intention of doing something, and they've all been to glorify God. Even still that doesn't seem good enough.
TL;DR: Copyright is extremely strict, but today's social media and the structure of the internet is structured in a way that we can't simply share a video or draw a character from a show or even cover a song without violating copyright, but it's a lot of this is already socially acceptable that even a good amount original content creators would be fine with all of this. Link
I'm scrupulous and I can't decide if listening to covers, drawing fan-art, or simply using a picture I use on the internet as a profile picture is sinful because the Bible says that I have to follow the law, and the law states that these are technically illegal. I've always done these simple activities with the intention of glorifying God, but that doesn't seem sufficient.
Simply put, I think I'm over-thinking a simple matter. I would really appreciate some advice on this. I've pray a lot about this and I'm just lost and confused and, frankly, very tired. All I'm doing is listening to music, drawing, and sharing videos.
Thank you very much!
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