Card Making
Everyone does not want anything stolen from them. Be it money or any property that a person owns, it is given care and protection to make sure that it stays in good and condition and will not be lost or stolen. But material items are not the only things that can be stolen. Ideas and concepts, like an artistic work, can also be stolen from somebody. It can be in the form of a book, song, movie, painting or designs used in card making.
When one uses another person’s concept and claims that he made it himself, that is violation of the copyright laws. Copyright laws grants exclusive rights of the artistic work to its creator and no one has the right to use it without the permission of the person who created it. These laws are a significant part of making artistic people earn good money from selling their intellectual property.
In card making, the same principle applies. If you had made an original design, meaning it is a product of your own creative thinking, you can seek copyright protection to make sure that no one else will claim it as theirs. Or if you wrote an original poem for a particular card, it should also be protected under the copyright laws.
Although this copyright law may seem trivial and not important compared to other serious laws covering serious crimes like murder, using a stolen idea or design in card making for more than 10 times or if it involves a large amount of money already constitutes felony. But it would still mean a violation of this law if you use the product even without selling it. The creator can demand payment for damages which can be awarded through civil cases.
When discussing card making and copyright laws, it covers two aspects. One is knowing how to protect your intellectual property and the other one is knowing that others are protected, too. This means that you cannot just use any design or copy it then sell for a profit without the consent of the creator.
In protecting your original designs, first make sure that you have obeyed all the copyright provisions that can be applied to card making. Research ways and means to get protection for your work. If you are engaged in the business of card making, originality is a very significant part of how you can earn profits.
On the other hand, when in the process of card making, keep in mind that others are protected by this law, too. You cannot use nor copy any designs then sell them as your own. Never assume that you can use all quotes, artworks or graphics that can be found in public domains in the internet. Normally, there are provisions governing the use of these particular properties.
So always remember that the copyright laws applies both to your work and others’, too. Simply put, it just means, don’t copy the works of others and make sure that you are not copied, too.
