Copyright is, in its simplest terms, the right to control access to an intellectual creation other than an invention. It is, of course, vastly more complex than this in practice. The reason the Web has caused so much debate about copyright is that virtually everything you see there is copyrightable material. Every time you access a Web page you are potentially violating someone's copyright. In addition, the ease with which you can copy and transfer material which has been posted on the Web makes, some argue, the widespread abuse of copyrighted material almost inevitable.
Copyrights can be of enormous value.
When designing your Web sight, you must give very careful thought to the value of the material you are posting, the likely uses to which it may be put by others and, perhaps most importantly, how to provide your material with as much legal protection as possible. A properly drafted licensing agreement, for example, inserted at the proper place in your web site, may be the difference commercial success and unmitigated disaster. It is recommended that all commercial web sites actively review their sites for copyright issues. Please see LexLaw's Web Page Review Program . Of course, it may be that your copyrighted material has been posted on the Web without your knowledge or consent.