How to Add a Disclaimer Overlay to Your WordPress Website
Anyone can launch a website these days, and pretty much anyone can make a quick buck with a free blogging platform like WordPress.com. However, not all webmasters are aware of the legal implications of their content.
The truth is, you could potentially be breaking the law with your website. You might not know it, but depending on the amount of content you have on your site, you could be heading toward a copyright infringement lawsuit.
What are the chances of being sued for copyright infringement if you’re a small business owner who has only just started blogging? Minimal, to be frank. But, you could still be facing legal ramifications for the content you have published online without proper knowledge or consent.
To avoid any legal hassles down the line, it’s essential that you understand the basics of copyright law as it relates to your blog. Otherwise, you could be in for some serious trouble. That’s why in this article, we’ll discuss how to add a disclaimer overlay to your WordPress website.
Get Legal Permission
If you’re serious about making money from blogging, one of the most effective ways to do so is to build up a sizeable audience. Having a large following makes you more likely to get featured in popular blogs or websites that have affiliate programs. When a third party refers a visitor to a site where she makes a purchase or signs up for a trial offer, that third party receives a commission.
To get started, you’ll need to determine whether or not you have the required copyright clearances to publish the content you’ve written. Only then can you move forward with adding disclaimers to your site. For example, if you’re writing about music, you might need to get permission from the artists or the music publisher. But let’s say you’re writing about movies, you might not need to get permission from the film company or the actors.
When you obtain the necessary copyright clearances, you can use a tool like Scrivener to start adding disclaimers to your content. When you’re using Scrivener, simply import your existing blog posts. After you’ve done so, start adding disclaimers to the posts one by one. When you get to the last line of a post, you’ll need to use the Insert Clip button to pull in the footer from the Scrivener document.
Create A Backlink To The Copyright Agent
Even if you have permission to publish your content, you still need to make sure that you’re in fact doing so lawfully. This relates back to the previous point where we mentioned needing to get clearance from the film studio or the music publisher. Once you’ve gotten that clearance, you can move ahead with making your post about films or music. However, in case you’re still wondering, you do need to get permission from the copyright owner to use their material in your blog post.
To make sure your blog complies with copyright law, you can use a tool like Screenshot to grab a small piece of code from the bottom of the webpage. You’ll then need to go back to the page and insert that code into your own blog post. After you’ve done so, you can use the Insert Clip button in Scrivener to pull in that code. From there, you can use a plugin like Regenerate Thumbnails to create a small image with a watermark from The Coca-Cola Company.
Use The Right Attribution
No matter what kind of content you have published on your site, you need to be sure to attribute the source. This means giving credit to the author of the content you’ve used or paraphrased. Failure to do so could potentially lead to legal action. You also need to be mindful of the fact that content which you have used from another source without permission could still trigger trouble. When you’ve used content in your blog post, you should always give credit to the source. For example, let’s say you wrote a post about the best luxury watches for men. You then used a picture of a man from a famous luxury goods website without giving credit to that company. If that company then decides to sue you, you’ll have to retract your blog post or face the consequences.
The bottom line is this: when you start a blog, you have the opportunity to influence and educate people globally. However, this comes with responsibilities. To ensure that your efforts do not get you into legal trouble, you must be careful with the content that you publish. The best way to remain protected under copyright law is to simply add a disclaimer to your site. Keep your content original and reputable, and you’ll surely enjoy the benefits of a monetized blog. Good luck out there.