What is Library Copyright Liability and What Can You do About Pirating Patrons?

The law provides protection for copying of library books. As far as the law is concerned, one cannot make use of library material for personal gains. This is against both morals and the law. The copies without copyrights can be used to upload on the internet but using the copyrighted copies is illegal. Only the owner of the copyright can use the copy to make personal gains or make it available for free to anyone if he wishes to. Only the owner has the right to do so and no one else can make use of it without the owner’s permission. If any person who infringes the copyright, then he can be penalized for the same. The copyright owner can be given monetary benefits if he has been cheated upon or his copyright is used without his permission. Copying a patron can be done only for private study but publicizing it is a legal offense. The person who is copying can also use it for research or scholarship. Copying, reproduction or distribution of books must be accompanied by a notice from a person who actually holds the copyright. The library’s notice for infringement can also lead to serious consequences while proving that the infringement was innocent. This also reduces the library’s liability.

Generally, a person who infringes the documents can be held liable for it. Some people in the library copy a document on the order of a colleague but in doing so s/he places a liability on the library relating to the copyright issues. Before copying the data, the person copying it must look into the matter that which parties he is impacting. But in case the person is copying books on his own, i.e. without the directions of any supervisor, then the library is not responsible for the liability but the person himself is.

A library can make three copies of any patron for preservation. It must, however, adhere to all the conditions in relation to the copyright law.

These are:

• The copy must not be made for commercial purposes.
• The reproduction must be accompanied by a copyright notice.
• The library must be open to not only researchers but to the public as well.

Unlike a library, for a user, only one copy can be made.

Today books are pirated and put up on torrent sites causing a horrendous loss to the publishers and it is not legit.

Who are pirating patrons?

Pirate patrons take the book out of the library, make pirated copies and upload it on pirated websites. It can be because the patron likes the material and wants it to reach a wider audience wherein he doesn’t get any monetary compensation. This might cause a liability on the library but is a source of fun to pirating patrons.

Piracy exists and exists for several reasons. Some of them are faster, easier, better and cheaper spread of information. It was common for people during earlier times when copyright Registration was not a big thing but as the monetization through books, piracy became a serious issue and continues to be so. Also, most librarians are not worried about piracy, thus leading to piracy.

There have to be ways to stop piracy and protect the rights of the writers and publishers:

• Everything should be easily accessible to the public. This will stop them from pirating content online.
• Block the glut of pirating patrons. They should be identified and be debarred from their jobs.
• The people pirating material should be traced and must be penalized.
• The media should be run on the protected or sealed network. E.g. Apple doesn’t allow people to download or view content on pirated sites.
• Going after financiers in place of pirating patrons seems to be an alternative for it. If they are poached, half the matter will be solved.
• Freezing the account of such financiers will help. They won’t be able to finance, leading to less piracy.
• If pirates stop getting financial gains, they will stop doing it.
• Catching them red handed can help. This is how torrents and Kickass Torrent were banned.

Piracy has become a serious problem and it needs to be stopped as soon as it can be. Using technology to do such acts is a problem that demands immediate attention. To save a few bucks per person, the owner of the Copyright has to suffer losses in big amounts. STOP PIRACY.