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A Small Orange is located in the United States, and therefore is subject to U.S. Copyright Laws protecting copyrighted works.
Copyright law can be complex. This article is not by any means a legal guide to copyright law, but rather a quick summary to give you enough information to understand how it can affect your website hosted here at A Small Orange. Legal questions regarding copyright law and your specific situation should be directed to a lawyer.
In general, original content you create (a blog entry, a restaurant review, website content describing your design services, etc.) is protected by copyright law. You do not need to register your content with the U.S. Copyright office, though certain claims are made easier if original content is registered and recorded.
Likewise, content (including music, reviews, websites, etc) created by other people or companies are also protected by copyright law. You cannot use another's content without their permission, either freely given or through a licensing arrangement.
In some cases, using content created by another falls under Fair Use. One example of this would be to copy the published specifications of a piece of hardware from the manufacturer's site in order to publish an original review of the hardware. An example that does NOT fall under Fair Use would be to upload an mp3 of a song to your website for your friends to download.
Copyright violations are covered under ASO's Terms of Service. Specifically, it's not permitted. However, because ASO is a hosting provider and not a legal counsel, we do not make judgments about customer content. There is a process to follow for an alleged copyright holder to complain about a website violating copyright law. There is also a process for reinstating a website removed/blocked for a copyright complaint. Please read about DMCA Takedown Notices to learn about this process.
Other resources:
Chilling Effects website Good summary of Copyright and Trademark issues
U.S. Copyright Office The official word on U.S. Copyright Law, Filing a copyright, Downloads, etc
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