Blogging is a strange phenomenon.  Exploding like no other technology on the web, we are presently seeing a blog added to the World Wide Web almost at the rate of one every second !  Obviously, there are a lot of folks out there who are taking to blogging, and even more reading what the others are posting… each day.  Given the rate at which new blogs (and hence, new bloggers) are making their presence felt on the Internet, it is not surprising to find that many run into legal or copyright issues, or may face such issues in the foreseeable future! 

Our schools and colleges have still not started making students aware of the nuances of living in a copyrighted world.  And, our courts are still undecided on many issues, primarily because many of the laws they help implement were drafted in the pre-Internet era.  In such a reality, what is a new blogger to do?  Where is he/she to go to find more clarity on what can and cannot be permitted?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) offers a helpful "Legal guide for Bloggers" :

Whether you’re a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you’ve been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about bloggers getting in trouble for what they post.

Like all journalists and publishers, bloggers sometimes publish information that other people don’t want published. You might, for example, publish something that someone considers defamatory, republish an AP news story that’s under copyright, or write a lengthy piece detailing the alleged crimes of a candidate for public office.

That’s why EFF created this guide, compiling a number of FAQs designed to help you understand your rights and, if necessary, defend your freedom.

The website clearly states that "EFF is a US organization and this guide is based on US law. If you are not a US resident, see our international resources."  However, having browsed through the contents in detail, I must say a lot of questions got adequately answered, and this resource would serve to clarify many-a-doubt in the minds of newbie bloggers, no matter which country or continent they hail from. 

A brief excerpt of its contents :

• The Overview of Legal Liability Issues FAQ
• The Bloggers’ FAQ on Intellectual Property
• The Bloggers’ FAQ on Online Defamation Law
• The Bloggers’ FAQ on Section 230 Protections
• The Bloggers’ FAQ on Privacy

All in all, a very useful and insightful resource for copyright issues of almost any electronic body of work.   Worth a read.

See Also :

Bloggers’ FAQ : Complete list of questions
About the Electronic Frontier Foundation