Technology is constantly being updated and evolving. With this technological expansion, more and more everyday things like music, photos, news media, and more are becoming digitized. Now everything is easier to gain access to than it ever has been before.

We live in a world where we can search, find, and collect as much information that we could possibly want. But with that ability, copyright laws have broadened greatly.

Most people probably aren’t aware of how much weight copyright laws carry. With few exceptions, anyone who even takes a single part of someone’s work, no matter how big or small, has committed copyright infringement. However, consequences can vary based what is “stolen.” 

For example, if you use a very popular song as background music for a video you post to YouTube, you could receive a copyright strike and YouTube could suspend your account. Some consequences, on the other hand, can reach the severity of a lawsuit. 

Copyright is not something that should be taken lightly. Theft of music, movies, video games, and software costs the U.S. economy $58 billion per year and 350,000 lost jobs in the entertainment industry and its supplying industries.

There are some exceptions to copyright laws, as it comes to education. Educators can use specific forms of media strictly for educational use.

So don’t be afraid of being sued, but  it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Remember to be copyright conscious of everything you post online.