It is often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but at what point does such perceived flattery become a blatant infringement of one’s intellectual property rights? At what point does a media outlet take action to protect its intellectual rights in an intellectually starved nation?

At The Bush Chicken, we are committed to providing well-written, well-researched content and adhering to the highest standards. In fact, as part of Africa’s growing media landscape, we believe that it is our responsibility to help set the standards for journalistic integrity in Liberia.

This responsibility extends to ensuring that our intellectual property rights are not trampled upon by others who may not realize that copying and pasting our content without attribution and without our permission is wrong.

The Problem: Using Content without Permission

We understand that good writers are hard to come by in Liberia and that media outlets are constantly scrambling to adhere to standards from a limited roster of creative writers. What we don’t understand, however, is why media outlets, which should know better, feel it is acceptable to copy and paste the work of others without credit or permission.

OK, maybe I do understand it a little. You see, anyone can start a print or web-based media company in Liberia. Anyone can set up a blog. No matter what format they choose to publish their content in, there’s an expectation that they’d write their own stories or employ their own writers.

In reality, some blatantly disregard the intellectual property rights of others and simply republish the work of others as their own. For them, whatever they see online is fair game.

It’s not.

We are aware of the glaring disregard for the use of one’s work without credit. While we understand the admiration of our work by media outlets in Liberia, we’d also appreciate the respect and credit for what we do.

As the copyright holder of our own works, we have exclusive rights to the publication of our content. Only we can claim ownership to it or grant permission to others to use it in a manner we see fit. This is not unreasonable, nor is it difficult to comply with. In fact, we have a process in place where media outlets can request permission to use our content.

The Solution: Follow the Rules

As a member of the Liberian media, we recognize that a problem exists. Below are a few guidelines for media companies to follow both in general and in regard to using our content.

• Learn about intellectual property and copyright laws — The World Intellectual Property Organization is a good starting point. You can look up copyright law by country at WIPO.int.
• Write your own content or employ your own writers — When you start to write your own content, you’ll have a deeper appreciation and respect for the work of others. This requires an investment of either time or money or both, but it is also rewarding to put your own voice out there. Hopefully, no one will ever use your content without your permission or claim it as their own, but if they do, you’ll soon understand why we are so passionate about exerting our intellectual property rights.
• Go through the appropriate channels when using third party content — Some publishers will grant you permission to use their content if you simply ask and abide by their terms. Others may require that you buy a license. Either way, do not simply grab their content and use it without first obtaining the right to do so.

If you would like to use any of our content, we have mechanisms in place where you can request reprint rights. If granted, we will provide you with the appropriate license, content, and the exact wording you must use to give us credit for our work.

Copyright infringement is a serious problem affecting media companies, publishers, writers, bloggers, and website owners across Africa — and the world at large. Many infringers blatantly disregard the intellectual property rights of others simply because they don’t know any better.

Now you know.

Featured photo by Jefferson Krua