Weekly Reflection Post #2 – Intellectual Property

This week in class we learned about intellectual property. How to safely not accidentally steal someone else’s work and to speak up if your work gets used without your permission. While learning how to cite our own work and check if someone else uses it. As well as the steps on how to go about informing the person who used our own work as their own.

Photo: Unsplash

As shown above with the meme of two horses playing accordians. I did not properly cite where the meme came from. I stated the website I obtained the image from as well as linked it. But I did not state the person who uploaded the photo as well. A proper example of what you should do can be found down below.

Photo: Unsplash (Uploaded by Dominik Vanyi)

As for an example of someone’s creation being used is this: someone made a meme. Then a government official used that meme to advance their political campaign. The person then took to social media informing everyone the meme was their own and showing the proof of it.

I found it interesting that someone had the courage to claim the meme as their own despite the government official using it. As sometimes people who are famous will use their status as such to get away with things like taking something belonging to someone else. So to know someone stood up for themself made me quite happy. Especially as someone who does some pixel art on the side I am worried someone may take my art and use it for their own without crediting me or my permission. So, if that were to ever happen now I think I would communicate with the person that the art belongs to me.

I am also more knowledgeable on how to cite whenever I use another person’s image. That way I do not accidentally claim it as my own. It is much better for everyone’s work to be shared and acknolwedged. Which is why it is important we learned about intellectual property.