What is direct infringement?

Direct infringement is one of the three types of copyright infringement (the other two being contributory infringement and vicarious infringement). It occurs where someone exercises one of the exclusive rights granted by the Copyright Act without seeking the permission of the copyright owner. For example, if you make a copy of a book or a phonorecord of a CD without the copyright owner’s permission, you have violated the exclusive right to reproduce and have therefore committed copyright infringement. While unauthorized copying is the most common form of direct infringement, a violation of any of the exclusive rights constitutes copyright infringement. Direct infringement therefore also includes, for example, a performance or adaptation made without the author’s permission.