Definition

1. Noun:
   • A violation of the rights secured by a copyright: This term refers to the act of using, reproducing, distributing, performing, or displaying a copyrighted work without the permission of the copyright holder or without a legal exception (such as fair use). It is the unauthorized use of works protected by copyright law.

Usage

• Copyright infringement is a legal term. It is used to describe an illegal act involving intellectual property.
• It is typically used in formal, legal, and business contexts.
• It often appears in discussions about law, digital media, publishing, art, and entertainment.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Uploading the full movie to a public website constituted clear copyright infringement.
  • The artist sued the company for copyright infringement over the unauthorized use of her song in an advertisement.
  • Publishers use software to detect potential copyright infringement online.

Advanced Usage

• "to constitute copyright infringement": to be an act that qualifies as infringement.
  • The court ruled that sampling the music without a license did constitute copyright infringement.
• "alleged copyright infringement": used when a claim of infringement has been made but not yet proven in court.
  • The website received a notice regarding alleged copyright infringement.
• "willful copyright infringement": infringement that is done intentionally and knowingly.
  • The penalties for willful copyright infringement can be severe.

Variants and Related Words

• Infringement (n): a more general term for any violation of a law, rule, or right.
  • This is an infringement of our privacy policy.
• Copyright holder (n): the person or entity that owns the copyright.
• Copyright (n): the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of a literary, musical, or artistic work.

Synonyms

• Piracy: Often used synonymously, especially in the context of unauthorized copying and distribution of software, music, or movies.
• Theft of intellectual property: A broader, more general phrase.
• Unauthorized use/copying: A descriptive phrase for the action.

Related Phrases

• To commit copyright infringement: to carry out the act of infringement.
  • The individual was found to have committed copyright infringement.
• A claim of copyright infringement: a formal accusation or assertion that infringement has occurred.
  • They filed a claim of copyright infringement against the distributor.
• Liable for copyright infringement: legally responsible for the infringement.
  • The company was held liable for copyright infringement.

Notes

• Copyright infringement is distinct from plagiarism. Plagiarism is an ethical violation involving claiming someone else's work as your own, while copyright infringement is a specific legal violation of copyright law. An act can be both.
• The concept of fair use (or fair dealing in some jurisdictions) provides limited exceptions where using copyrighted material without permission is not considered infringement.

Noun

1. a violation of the rights secured by a copyright