If you feel that you are safe when copying others work with the anonymity of the web you are badly mistaken, especially when you are blogging. Though internet makes it easier to copy and edit the original material having a good idea about copyright laws while doing so will make you avoid costly and illegal mistakes you might make.
Below listed are a few dos and don'ts that will clarify what you can and cannot do as an online publisher. If you have accessed a Public Domain then you are free to use its contents to your use. You will not be prosecuted for using short quotations out of copyright materials as it is categorized under 'fair use'. However make sure this short quotation does not replicate the original material. You are free to use the ideas and facts mentioned in copyrighted articles or reports.
However this does not give you the right to copy paste whole paragraphs out of original work. You can only extract the original idea and word it in your own way. Furthermore you can use names, titles, slogans, listings of contents or ingredients, etc. without risking the chance of being impeached, if not trademarked. Under Nominative Fair Use you can use a company name and or logo if you are analyzing or criticizing same. Nevertheless the use of name or logo should be alright only as long as you are not going to deceive the readers by implying that you are speaking on behalf of the company or relating to it. Same goes to domain names.
For an example if you are analyzing the blog automation software company http://www.blogwarriorelite.com and writing a report about them you can use their name and logo as long as you do not abuse your right by trying to show the others that you are speaking on behalf of the company. This will protect the contents of the site's contents being misused. Do not assume that you will skip copyright infringement if you credit the author. It is violating the copyright rule unless you have explicit permission from the author for republication. Do not copy material because there is no copyright notice. Any published work automatically gets copyright protection whether it has a notice or not. Do not make the mistake of copying material even though you are not going to reuse same for commercial purposed. The penalty remains same.
As now you have a clear idea of what you should do and don't while you are out there, have a safe journey blogging.
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