The open culture of the Internet and the state of technology make it easy to incorporate material created by others (images, video clips, music and text) into your Web site.  But the technical ability to use these works does not give you the legal right to do so.   

       The U.S. Constitution calls for the federal government to "to promote the progress of science and the useful arts" by giving authors and inventors exclusive rights to their work.  Title 17 of the United States Code provides the owner of a copyright with exclusive rights to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies and perform and display his or her work, provided that it is an original work of authorship in a fixed format. 

 So what's different about materials on the Internet?  

• The Copyright Website -- this site is packed with usable copyright information for anyone navigating the Internet or working on their own sites.
• Weblaw FAQ -- answers to frequently asked questions for those concerned about placing various materials on their Internet sites.
• Intellectual property FAQ -- plenty of detailed information about the regulation and protection of intellectual property.
• General information about copyrights -- another FAQ, this one for Internet site creators who want to protect their creations
• Title 17 of the United States Code (dealing with copyright)
• Electronic Frontier Foundation's Intellectual Property Law primer -- brief reading about the law relevent to multimedia and Web developers.
• 10 Big Myths about Copyright Explained -- this will dispel some common (mistaken) beliefs about copyright that you may have; make sure you have all the facts straight!