ABSTRACT
All digital content is protected under the US copyright protection. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of the copyrighted work is illegal. Copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. A copyright is the protection of a person’s creation, whether it is in digital arts, literature, music, or other media. Only the creator/owner of the media has the rights to use the material. The copyright protection is immediate – as soon as the media is created, it is protected. Copyrights may not seem all that important to some, but they are. While the intent may not be to keep another artist from their rightful earnings for work they have performed, the result from using another person’s content that the readers have not rightfully paid for is doing just that.
