By Elise Redlin, Business2Community.com
Special to Online Career Tips
Ruth Carter is the owner of Carter Law Firm, PLLC in Phoenix and author of “The Legal Side of Blogging: How Not to Get Sued, Fired, Arrested or Killed” and “Flash Mob Law: The Legal Side of Planning and Participating in Pillow Fights, No Pants Rides and Other Shenanigans.” As an attorney, she has focused on legal issues regarding intellectual property, business and the Internet.
Due to her distinguished career as part of the legal system, Ruth has great insight into possible legal implications of online and social media activity. We asked her, “What you think the social media and the law landscape will be like in the next 5 years?”
“We can’t predict what’s coming down the pike in terms of new technology and social media, but whatever it is, the law will always struggle to keep up with new developments. One thing is for certain – the federal copyright law is due for a major overhaul. We’re still using the one that was mostly written in the 1970’s. It needs to be revised to better address copyright issues and the Internet. The law may not be completely rewritten in the next five years, but I hope that conversation is at least in full swing by then.
“One thing is for certain – the federal copyright law is due for a major overhaul.” -@rbcarter
There is a struggle between the desire for people to share things they find interesting and useful and the desire for artists and writers to retain their ownership rights, which includes deciding where their work is available or displayed. In the next five years, I think there will be increase in respect for people’s copyright, that people need to ask the artist permission to use their work and not just use anything they can find via a Google search. On the flip side, I expect more artists and writers to be willing to let others use their work so long as they receive the proper credit and attribution. Right now, I suspect that artists feel disrespected and taken advantage of which leads them to want to lay the smack down on people who use their work without permission. If they feel respected and have a way to make a living off their work, they will be more likely to share what they create.”
Do you agree that we’ll see increased respect for copyrights and more asking for permission to use work?
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