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question.jpgIn Copyrights

What is infringement?

Within the context of copyright law, infringement refers to 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. This type of infringement is known as direct infringement, and unauthorized copying is the most common form of direct infringement. However, violation of any of the exclusive rights constitutes copyright infringement, so it also includes a performance or adaptation made without the author’s permission.

In addition to these types of direct infringement, a copyright can also be violated by contributory infringement or vicarious infringement.