If you wish to publish copyrighted materials, you must first get permission from the copyright holder beforehand. Under federal copyright law, the civil penalties for copyright infringement can be severe, including substantial monetary damages, injunctive relief, and liability for attorneys' fees incurred in prosecuting a case. It is important to remember that these penalties apply even if money was not charged. In addition, criminal penalties may be imposed if someone willfully infringes a copyrighted work for commercial advantage or private financial gain. State civil damages and criminal penalties vary from state to state.
Sound files are one of the elements of web design that brings out the creative side.
But caution needs to be paid so that your web site will not be targeted as violating a copyright of a music artist or agent. The RIAA represents the record companies that create, manufacture and distribute more than 90 percent of the legitimate sound recordings sold in the United States. One of the RIAA's primary missions is to protect the intellectual property of its members. These web sites hosted by Yakoo had numerous full length, near CD quality recordings of popular recording artists copyrighted work. The RIAA also asked for personal user information regarding these sites to proceed with a legal case to prosecute for federal violation of their membership's rights that also might involve criminal proceedings.