Copyright is a legal right that protects original work—like books, songs, photos, videos, and artwork.
If someone creates it, they own it, and you usually need their permission to copy or share it.
Common copyrighted materials:
News articles
YouTube videos
Photos or memes
Music, podcasts, and TV shows
Website content and blog posts
📌 If you didn’t create it—and it’s not clearly marked for public use—you probably don’t have the right to repost it freely.
Fair use is a legal exception that lets you use small portions of copyrighted material without permission, under certain conditions.
Examples where fair use might apply:
Quoting a line from a book for discussion
Sharing a short news clip with commentary
Using a brief audio sample for educational purposes
⚠️ Fair use is not guaranteed. Courts weigh things like:
Why you're using it (educational vs. commercial)
How much you used
Whether your use harms the original creator
💡 When in doubt, link to the content instead of copying it.
The DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) is a U.S. law that helps content creators protect their work online.
It allows copyright owners to request that websites remove infringing material.
If someone reports a post under the DMCA:
The post may be removed
The uploader may get a warning or be asked to respond
Repeated violations can result in account suspension
Share links instead of reposting full content
Credit the original creator when possible
Use royalty-free or Creative Commons-licensed content
Use content that’s clearly marked as public domain
Copy/paste full articles or lyrics
Re-upload someone else's photo, meme, or video without permission
Claim others’ work as your own
If you're not sure whether you can share it—don’t post it.
When sharing a meme or video, always ask: Did I make this, or am I borrowing someone else’s work?