Google has finally weighed in on the
controversy surrounding Linda
Ikeji’s blog, explaining why it was removed.
Google’s
Manager for Communications and Public Affairs, Anglo-Phone West Africa, Taiwo
Kolade-Ogunlade explained to Punch newspaper
why the popular news site had to be removed.
“To
respect the rights of copyright holders, Google clearly spells out how users of
its products and services can get permission to use someone else’s intellectual
property such as text, songs, images and footages. Google is no respecter of
anybody when it came to the issues of copyright infringement, copyright is a
big deal.
“Google
as an organisation takes issues of copyright seriously and belongs to a group
of digital companies that respect copyrights.
“Copyright
is a big deal and this is why you can’t just go and pick up another person’s
intellectual property or content and lay claim to its ownership.
“That
is why we have copyright guidance. I don’t know if Linda picked up any content
and I don’t know what content is the bone of contention-neither have I looked
into the complaints personally.
“But
it is not a case of witch-hunting and has nothing to do with Linda Ikeji’s
personality or anyone else because there is a process, and irrespective of who
you are in the world, that process would apply to you.
“It
has become imperative for online entrepreneurs to respect the rights of copyright
holders noting that the Internet community should be built on mutual trust and
general respect.
“Let’s
respect other people’s rights and intellectual property. Making money off other
people’s content without permission is wrong. Although the Internet is
inanimate, it is the content on it that gives it life. These are the issues.
“Whenever
owners of online contents come after you accusing you of using their content,
it is because they have families to feed and businesses to sustain.
“People
should also understand that copyrights does not only apply to text, but also
extends to literary works, images and photographs, music files and MP3s,
movies, movie trailers and videos as well as software.”
This story was culled from our partner website 360nobs.com
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