How to Avoid Copyright Infringement Using Digital Asset Management (DAM) System
- Expired digital assets can lead to copyright infringement, which can result in legal action, financial penalties, and reputational damage to your organization
- A Digital Asset Management platform can help you avoid copyright infringement through robust security features, validation capabilities, enhanced search, and the ability to properly label and attribute metadata
- Catsy DAM is one of the very best Digital Asset Management solutions and contains features such as version management which contribute to avoiding copyright infringement.
In this Article
Digital assets are a major driving force behind the remarkable strides in eCommerce today. As websites and eCommerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce advance, brands and suppliers must include more images, videos, and in some cases, PDFs on the product details page. Not only do these requirements exist from a technical point of view, but from a consumer perspective.
If you’re a supplier, wholesaler, or retailer, chances are great that you get most of your product photos from the brand itself. This can cause its own set of challenges – such as regularly requesting updated images from different vendors and aiming for quality in an area that isn’t in your control.
However, one of the largest hidden dangers digital assets can carry if not regularly managed is the impact of accidental copyright infringement if assets are expired and in use, unbeknownst to your organization.
Keeping track of when each asset requires renewal, as well as which ones are suitable for use in specific contexts, can be a complex and time-consuming task. This is especially true when dealing with a diverse range of assets and copyright licenses that have different terms and conditions. Failing to manage copyright permissions correctly can result in legal action, penalties, and reputational damage.
Fortunately, you can avoid copyright infringement using a Digital Asset Management software.
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DAM = Digital Asset Management
A Digital Asset Management System is a platform designed to assist in storing, organizing, managing, and distributing digital assets, such as pictures, videos, and documents. The solution gives these resources a central home, making it more straightforward for teams to access, collaborate, and use them consistently across different channels.
The software also provides advanced features like metadata management, re-sizing templates, linking to products, and permissions control, making it a valuable tool for businesses dealing with a large volume of assets.
What are the benefits of using a DAM Solution to store digital assets?
The real benefit of Digital Asset Management platforms is that they provide a centralized and secure platform for managing and organizing digital assets, which helps businesses to save time and drive more revenue by ensuring quality assets are never lost and always available to upload to channels in the appropriate format.
Benefits of Digital Asset Management include:
- Consistent brand management: Since DAM software provide a single source of truth, all digital assets will always be consistent with the organization’s brand guidelines, reducing the risk of errors and inconsistencies.
- Enhanced collaboration: Team members can collaborate on projects as the platform allows them to access and share digital assets in real time, from anywhere in the world.
- Increased security: Digital Asset Management platforms provide security features such as access controls, ensuring that only authorized users can access and modify digital assets.
- Cost savings: DAM can help reduce costs associated with asset creation and processing, as well as eliminate the need for external storage solutions such as USB drives and hard drives.
- Better analytics: Digital Asset Management platforms contain tracking features that make it possible to track the usage of each asset, providing valuable insights into how these assets are being used and which ones are most effective.
- Scalability: DAM can easily handle large volumes of digital assets, making them suitable for organizations that want a solution that can accommodate dynamic growth.
- Re-purposing: A typical DAM solution makes it simpler to extract an asset from one material and redirect it to another use. For instance, you can extract an image from a brochure and re-purpose it for social media posts or email marketing campaigns.
How DAM can help avoid copyright infringement
Copyright infringement occurs when assets are used without proper authorization or licensing.
Let’s say a furniture manufacturer wants to create a product catalog to showcase their new line of sofas. To do this, they hire a photographer to take professional photos of the sofas. The photographer retains the copyright to the photos but grants the manufacturer a license to use the photos in their product catalog and on their website.
However, if the furniture manufacturer decides to use these photos beyond the scope of the license they were granted, such as using the photos in a television commercial without obtaining the photographer’s permission or paying additional licensing fees, they would be committing copyright infringement. This could result in legal action from the photographer, including demands for damages or even a court order to cease and desist from using the photos.
Another example of this is when a building materials manufacturer creates a new line of tiles called “EcoTile” and hires a photographer to take photos of the tiles. The photographer retains the copyright to the photos but grants the manufacturer a license to use the photos for a period of two years.
After two years, the license to use the photos expires. If the manufacturer continues to use the photos without renewing the license or obtaining permission from the photographer, they would be committing copyright infringement.
Let’s now have a deeper look at how DAM can help avoid copyright infringement.
1. DAM solutions contain robust security features
A typical DAM platform comes with enhanced security features that can be streamlined to protect against copyright infringement. The most important feature to consider is having access controls.
Any professional DAM platform that contains access control features that can restrict access to only authorized users. Once configured, any form of unauthorized use or distribution of copyrighted materials is automatically refused.
How Access Controls Help Secure Your Digital Assets
Let’s say an industrial electronics manufacturer creates a new line of motion sensors that are designed to be used in security systems. They acquire licenses for high-quality photos of the motion sensors. However, they want to ensure that the photos are only accessible to authorized employees and partners.
To accomplish this, the manufacturer could use access controls in their DAM to create a user group for authorized employees and partners who will have access to these photos. This will not only prevent unauthorized users from accessing the photos but also ensure that no member of the authorized group can use an image in a way that they are not permitted. For example, a supplier may not edit an image that is purposed for marketing.
2. DAM platforms allow validation of images/version history
Validation of images refers to the process of verifying that all the images in the digital asset management system have been properly licensed or created in-house. A DAM solution with validation capabilities will prompt users to provide proof of ownership or licensing information before allowing them to upload images to the system. This way, you can ensure that everyone is only using images that are properly incensed and not expired, reducing the risk of copyright infringement.
Version history, on the other hand, tracks the changes made to an asset over time. This feature is particularly useful for businesses that frequently modify or update their digital assets. By keeping track of changes made to an asset, version history can help businesses avoid the accidental use of outdated versions of an asset that may have copyright issues. If a copyright infringement issue arises, the version history can help identify the exact version of the asset that was used, making it easier to take corrective action.
How a DAM can reduce the risk of copyright infringement?
A building materials manufacturer produces ceramic tiles and has a variety of images showcasing their products on their website, social media channels, and marketplaces. To ensure that their assets are protected and they don’t infringe on the copyrights of others, the manufacturer can use a PIM and DAM solution in the following ways:
- Validate all images uploaded to the DAM platform to ensure that they are original and not infringing on the copyrights of others
- Monitor for any potential copyright infringements by comparing new images to the existing database of copyrighted material and flag them for review
- Maintain a comprehensive version history of all assets to ensure that they are not modified or altered in a way that infringes on copyrights
- Integrate the DAM solution with copyright databases to ensure that all images are authentic
- Flag any assets that may be subject to copyright restrictions, and prohibit their use until proper permissions are obtained.
3. DAM provides enhanced search capabilities
DAM software have enhanced search features that allow you to set up a flawless process where assets that are close to expiration are tagged or marked with metadata that specifies their expiration date.
The DAM tool’s enhanced search function can then be used to find these assets quickly, making it easy to update or replace them with newer, non-expired assets.
By using metadata, tags, and other search parameters, users can quickly find and update outdated assets.
Additionally, enhanced search features can help identify assets that are no longer being used. This can be achieved by setting up criteria where assets that have not been accessed or used in a certain period are tagged or marked as inactive. These inactive assets can be removed from the system or updated, reducing the risk of accidentally using an expired or outdated asset that could lead to copyright infringement.
Enhanced search features can also help locate and correct assets that may have been incorrectly tagged or labeled. For example, some users may have tagged an asset with the wrong keywords, making it difficult to find using traditional search methods.
Some specific features that power enhanced search in DAM solutions include:
- Metadata management: DAM allows users to add metadata to their assets, which can include information such as title, author, copyright status, and keywords. This metadata can be used to filter and sort assets, making it easier to find what one needs.
- Full-text search: Some DAM platforms can extract text from documents and other text-based assets, allowing users to search for assets based on the text contained within them.
- Saved searches: DAM can save frequently used searches and filter criteria.
How can a DAM platform make the search for images easier?
Let’s say a furniture manufacturer is creating a new line of chairs and wants to use some specific product images for their e-commerce channels. They have a large library of digital assets, including product images for previous chair lines. But they want to ensure they’re not using any expired images that could lead to copyright infringement.
Using the enhanced search capabilities within their DAM, the manufacturer can quickly search for all images related to previous chair lines and filter the results by date modified or created. This will allow them to identify any images that are older than the copyright expiration date and avoid using them in their new materials.
They can also use metadata to tag and categorize the assets, making it easier to search for images based on specific criteria, such as the chair model, color, or style. This can help ensure that they’re only using the most relevant and up-to-date assets for their new chair line.
4. DAM enables proper labeling and attribution with metadata
DAM solutions make it possible to assign descriptive information to digital assets. This makes it easier to identify, manage, and use them effectively. Descriptive information could include a title, description, keywords, author, creation date, copyright information, and more.
This kind of labeling can help your business avoid using expired digital assets and keep off copyright infringement in the following ways:
- Tracking varying expiration dates: By including metadata such as creation date, you can easily track the age of all digital assets and avoid using expired assets. For example, if your business sells products that have seasonal variations, you can tag the digital assets with metadata indicating the season and year in which they were created, making it easier to identify and retire expired materials.
- Copyright information: Metadata can also include information about the copyright status of the digital asset, such as the copyright owner, license type, and usage restrictions. This information can help users ensure that they are only working with assets that are legally allowed for their intended use.
Here are the common features of a typical DAM solution that allow for proper labeling and attribution with metadata:
- Custom metadata fields: A DAM solution provides the ability to add custom metadata fields for each asset. Different users can define which metadata fields they need to describe various assets.
- Controlled vocabulary: Managers can create a controlled vocabulary, which is a standardized list of terms used to describe assets. This ensures that all assets are labeled consistently, which makes it easier to search and retrieve in addition to maintaining brand consistency
- Batch metadata editing: Users can apply metadata to multiple assets at once, which saves time and ensure consistency across all assets. This feature is particularly useful when one needs to update metadata for a large number of assets.
- Automatic metadata generation: Some DAM software can automatically generate metadata for assets, such as keywords, based on image recognition or other AI-driven analysis. This feature can save time and improve the accuracy of metadata.
- Integration with external systems: DAM software can integrate with several external systems, such as eCommerce platforms, to automatically apply metadata to assets. For example, when you upload an image to one of your eCommerce platforms, the DAM can automatically apply metadata such as product name, SKU, and description.
Key Takeaways
Overall, using a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system is a great way to manage digital assets and avoid copyright infringement. DAM helps to keep track of all your digital assets, ensuring they are properly protected, stored, and shared. This helps to minimize the risk of copyright infringement, keeping your business safe. Additionally, DAM can help to streamline the search and retrieval of digital assets, making it easier to find the assets you need quickly and accurately.
Keep in mind that expired digital assets are a recipe for copyright infringement. It is an ingredient to inevitable damage to the brand’s reputation if not considered a priority. With a good DAM solution, you can manage licenses, expiration dates, and usage rights for all assets from one single source of truth.
DAM can help organizations reduce their costs by providing an easy way to store, manage, and distribute content. With these benefits in mind, it is easy to see why more and more organizations are investing in DAM. If you are looking for a good investment in a DAM software that is proven to be efficient and secured by many e-commerces, Catsy is the way to go. Request a demo of Catsy PIM Software and eCommerce DAM today so we can discuss how DAM can help avoid copyright infringement and help you boost sales in no time.
Copyright infringement happens when an organization or individual uses a copyrighted asset without permission from the owner or without a valid fair use defense. This can happen when a user copies, distributes, displays, performs, or creates a derivative work of a copyrighted work without the owner’s permission. Infringement can also occur with continued use of an asset whose license has expired. Copyright infringement can result in legal action and significant financial penalties.
With a good DAM system, users can easily identify and track the usage rights of assets such as images, videos, and audio files. DAM systems can provide comprehensive metadata fields that include copyright information, licensing terms, and usage restrictions. By adding this information to assets in the DAM system, users are able to determine whether they have the appropriate permissions to use an asset in a specific way. Additionally, a DAM system can automate workflows and provide approval processes to ensure that only assets with the necessary usage rights are approved for use in a particular project, reducing the risk of accidental infringement.
While it is not absolutely necessary to use a Digital Asset Management solution to avoid copyright infringement, it can certainly help reduce the risk of accidental infringement and improve overall efficiency in asset management. One of the key features of a DAM system is the ability to add metadata and tags to each asset, which can help identify the copyright owner and provide other relevant information, such as usage rights and expiration dates.
Legal action, financial penalties, and damage to a company’s reputation are some of the consequences. Depending on the severity of the infringement, legal action can result in fines, injunctions, and even criminal charges.
While DAM systems can provide access to ownership and usage rights information, they cannot prevent intentional copyright infringement. Individuals or organizations that knowingly use copyrighted materials without permission or a valid fair use defense are still liable for copyright infringement, even if they have access to a DAM system. It is important that your team understands and respects copyright laws. Ultimately, it is up to the users to act in compliance with copyright laws.
