Product reviews that don't violate terms and conditions One of the things that becomes a worry to article writers, especially those new to the web, is that of copyright infringement. The last thing that most of us want is to find yourself being sued by some mega-corporation on the basis that we reproduced their copyrighted material.
In the majority of cases, this is most likely to be the use of an image or logo that belongs to a company or organisation. The second likely claim is the use of copyright material such as written text.
The internet is the best thing ever for authors, until people start stealing your work. This is why copyright infringement has become such a hot topic on writers websites, forums etc. It provides the security we require to maintain control over the content we create, but then becomes a double edged sword when you want to write a product review.
The simplest way to think about a product review is that you are promoting someones product - and they wont mind a little bit of marketing assistance!
What you need to consider is the legal side of the impact of what you are writing. If you create the content yourself, then there can be no concerns about infringing copyright with the material.
If you decide to 'copy and paste' the material from someone else's website, then there is a copyright problem. To do this you will have to contact the original content owner and ask permission for its use, and you'll have to obtain proof that you were given permission. Hubpages, for example, give a list of acceptable forms of proof for permission granted content use on their terms of use page, read them before you ask the content owner so that you know what it is you are asking for.
Most companies are more than happy for authors, website owners, journalists etc to write about their product - ever heard the phrase "no such thing as bad publicity"? A lot of these companies will have a section on their website, like a press room, where you can download press releases and approved images for use in your content.
Another issue to be aware of is that of libel. You can find a definition of libel at wikipedia if you are not sure what this means. Basically you need to be aware that you must not make false claims or statements which may be harmful to a company or individual.
When writing a product review, there is no reason to avoid criticising faults that you find or suggest improvements. Making derogatory comments about the product, or company that produces it, is something completely different. Try to structure your negative comments in a way that suggest changes to improve the product, alternative uses, additions etc.
Always try and do your best to ensure that you are not breaking copyright rules, but if all else fails you must be prepared to remove or edit your hub should a copyright owner request it. One possible solution is to include a form of contact, allowing copyright owners to reach you if they feel that you are using their copyrighted material.
Author TagTopics - first published on hubpages.com
