Texas Copyright Laws: What Are the Penalties for Plagiarism?

February 19th was Prevent Plagiarism Day, so in honor of the least favorite national day for all high school students, let's look at the unique ways Texas punishes this form of fraudulent phrasing.

Cite Your Sources, Texas!

That's right, copyright law is no joke in the Lone Star State. In fact, thanks to Texas Criminal Defense Group, we can see the full list of protected works and the penalties for violating these laws. So, let's begin!

First of all, copyright infringement can be completely unintentional! I mean, in this digital age where everyone has the power of the universe in their pockets, it's becoming more and more common where Texans accidentally violate copyright laws when they thought they were pushing out 100% original work.

A good indicator that something is copyright protected right off the bat is to look for a registered trademark. You'll see these typically as a little "R" inside of a circle near popular logos like McDonald's or Adidas.

These registered trademarks show everyone else that this logo is protected by state and federal laws in case someone else tries to use it as their own.

Other safeguarded works that copyright laws protect include the following:

• Literary Works
  • Books, poems, essays, etc.
• Musical Works
  • Sheet music, compositions, lyrics, etc.
• Photos
  • Original photography (both analog and digital)
• Software
  • Computer codes and software applications are included
• Visual Arts
  • Paintings, drawings, sculptures, etc.

You can read more about each from the criminal defense group website, but there are four main exceptions to copyright infringement in Texas law. These include educational use, public domain, government works, and fair use. 

Penalties for Copyright Infringement

Penalties can vary case by case, but essentially, these are the more common forms:

• Paying for damages caused by infringement
• Returning all money earned from the infringement
• Facing $750 to $30,000 in fines for EACH piece of work stolen
• If done on purpose, facing up to $150,000 in civic penalties per instance
• Facing up to five years in jail for each offense

These don't take into account the lawyer's fees and any other costs related to court appearances and filings.

So, the bottom line? BE ORIGINAL. Not only is it refreshing to see some original work, it's also, you know, legal!