Back when I was in journalism school, Journalism Law was a required class. The late Dr. Ken DeVol did a great job teaching us about libel and a host of other legal issues of importance to journalists. Copyright was among them. Unfortunately, most bloggers don’t have the benefit of being required to take a class in law, leading many to make assumptions that are—at least, so far—false.

LLRX.com has a worthwhile piece that lists eight copyright myths that have been taken for granted on the Net for years but have been exacerbated by the explosion in blogging. The article provides detail about each myth. Here’s the short list:

1. It???s okay to use anything that doesn???t have a copyright notice.
2. It???s okay to use anything that???s online, because if it???s online, it???s in the public domain and up for grabs.
3. It’s okay to use anything as long as I???m not making any money off it.
4. It???s okay to use anything as long as I give credit.
5. It???s okay to use anything as long as I include the creator???s copyright notice.
6. It’s okay to use anything as long as I take it down when the copyright holder objects.
7. It???s okay to use something if I can???t find the copyright holder.
8. It???s okay to use something if I asked for permission and didn???t get a response.

Thanks to Corporate Engagement for the link.