Copyright: who owns what and where?

We hear often about the difficulties of establishing ownership of a pet – is a vets record and a microchip enough to say “this is mine”?

The law in this area requires multiple ways to prove ownership, but it is a lot simpler with research, writing and images – the creator is the owner.

No need for chips or records, as copyright law is quite clear the creator has the final say in who uses what, where and when, and for how much. Yet, almost daily I see the vet industry breaking this law and I believe it’s time for that to stop.

What is copyright?

Copyright for words/research is whoever created it has the right to say how and where what they created is used.

For images it’s the same. We love using images in teaching, and social media for ourselves and our clinics, but the creator still has rights over it, so you need to find out what they are.

But stuff on Google, that’s okay? Right?

No, and I know this is hard to understand, but just because something is free to access, doesn’t mean you can use it publicly for your own needs or for commercial/business use.

Yes, keep a copy to read privately, but if you create work from this resource or reuse an image or words to share with others then you need to seek permission first. This may allow you to use the items for free, as long as you give the creator credit, or you may need to pay.

You may also find you aren’t allowed to use the items at all and, although this can be frustrating, it could save you a lot of time and money later on.

What if you can’t find an owner?

That doesn’t mean it’s yours to use, as the owner of the website or book that you found it in will also have some ownership over it.

Check the resources carefully for their source and, if at all unsure, I would advise not using it and finding something else that’s suitable.

What if I created it?

An interesting situation. You still need to reference yourself and when it was created. This is more relevant for academic writing – if you are writing in 2019 and cite a paper you wrote in 2017 then you need to note that. It helps the reader find the appropriate information and also ensure you don’t use your own work illegally.

What the worst that can happen?

• You get a surprise bill.
• You get sued.
• You damage professional relationships.
• You undermine the reliability of your message.

Words and images are easy to trace, and some images have tracking data (digital watermarks) embedded in them, so where they end up is easy to find and traceable. It might be the next day, it may be months later, but I know people/practices who’ve had to remove content and pay a bill for its usage for the time they used it.

I know none of us want that as a surprise, so what can you do?

The basic rules

• Respect other people’s work.
• Ask permission.
• Never assume something is for public use for free.
• Always cite the source and when necessary, include any required image attribution.
• Check the RCVS and the VMD regulations to ensure you comply.

What CAN you do?

• Create your own images/content or pay someone to do to for you.
• Use reliable copyright-free image banks (such as Pixabay or Unsplash), or purchase a license for a small fee from a royalty free stock photo site (iStock or Adobe Stock, for example).
• Ask suppliers for their approved product support materials – most have great online support materials to help you stay safe online and provide good information.
• Follow the rules above to stay out of trouble.

I probably seem a bit dull, I’ve written and spoken on this before and am sure I will again… because I want the veterinary industry to be better than average.

• Better than just Googling an image and putting it out there.
• Better than screenshotting someone else’s work, removing their logo and using it.
• Better than repeating what is in a paper or textbook and not citing the author.

Because we are better than that and we could be the industry people look to for the best example of social media use, but only if we all decide we aren’t going to settle for the quick route – the content you produce is the standard you accept. Let’s make that standard as high as possible.