It all started with a simple hobby: collecting pictures of dogs and cats. For me, it was a way to connect with the furry friends I adored but couldn't have at home because my mom was against it. My neighbor, a kind older girl, had a tiny, fluffy white dog named Minky. She'd send me pictures of Minky all the time because she knew how much I loved him. Then there were my classmates, many of whom had pets. Their KakaoTalk profiles were overflowing with adorable dog and cat photos. I'd sneak a peek, download them, and use them to decorate my own profile or share with other friends. When they'd see a particularly cute picture, they'd ask for more, and that's when I'd dive into the internet, typing 'cat' or 'dog' and downloading a flood of images. My friends loved them so much they'd sometimes buy me snacks from the convenience store as a thank you. This made me want to find even prettier pictures for them.
One day, I got a bit creative. I thought, 'What if I combined pictures?' I took a photo of Minky and pasted a friend's cat's face onto it. My friends found it hilarious and begged for more. So, I started creating all sorts of funny animal mashups using the photos I'd collected and sent them out via KakaoTalk.
Then, the trouble started. The neighbor girl came to my classroom, looking quite upset. "Hey, don't send my Minky pictures to your friends anymore," she said. "Those photos are mine." I was confused. "But you sent them to me, so they're mine now, right? They're saved on my phone." She shook her head. "No, I learned about copyright today. Even if I send you the pictures, I took them, so I own the copyright. You can't just use them however you want!"
I didn't get it. Copyright? I'd never heard of it. Why was it a problem if I used photos saved on my own phone? I brushed her off. The next day, another friend, Misol, came up to me. "Stop using my cat's picture on your profile!" she demanded. "I never gave you permission." I argued back, "You put it on your profile! Doesn't that mean anyone can use it? If you didn't want people to use it, you shouldn't have posted it!"
That afternoon, as I was packing my bag, my teacher called me over. "Have you ever downloaded photos from other people's KakaoTalk profiles and sent them to your friends?" she asked. I admitted I had. "Have you ever heard of copyright?" she continued. She explained that copyright is the right a creator has over their work. If someone took a beautiful dog photo with care, that photographer holds the copyright. To use the photo, you need their permission. The creator is called the 'author' or 'copyright holder'.
I still didn't quite grasp it. "But if they put it online for everyone to see, doesn't that mean we can use it freely?" I asked. "No," she explained patiently. "Putting your work out there for others to see is called 'publication.' It's one of the author's rights. Just because they've made it public doesn't mean you can use it without their permission."
"So, if I have the author's permission, can I use the photos freely?" I ventured. "Not exactly," she replied. "Even with permission, if you want to combine multiple photos to create a new work, like you did, that's called the right to create a derivative work, and you need separate permission for that too. It's a bit complicated, isn't it?"
"So, to send my friends' dog and cat photos to others, or to combine them, I need to ask them for permission first?" I asked, finally starting to understand. "Yes, because they hold the copyright to the photos they took," she confirmed.
"What about photos I download from the internet? Do I need permission for those too?" I asked. "Yes," she said. "If you download a photo and send it to someone else, you absolutely must get the author's permission and state where you got it from." I then asked, "What if it's hard to get permission from the author of a photo I want to share online?" "In that case," she advised, "the best way to avoid infringing copyright is to share the internet address where you found the photo."
The teacher's explanation was clear and detailed. She made me understand why my actions were wrong. She asked, "How would you feel if someone took a picture of a drawing you made and sent it to others? Or if someone claimed your drawing was theirs?" "I'd feel really bad," I admitted.
"Exactly," she said. "It's your drawing, but someone else is acting like they own it. That's why copyright laws exist to protect creators. Infringing copyright has consequences." Thinking about someone claiming my drawing as their own suddenly made copyright click. I realized what I had done wrong.
I immediately deleted all the photos I had downloaded without permission. Then, I sent apology texts to my neighbor and Misol. "I'm sorry for using your photos without permission," I wrote. "I learned about copyright yesterday and realized my actions were infringing on it. I won't do it again."
I had always thought that if a photo was posted online for everyone to see, it was fair game. But learning about copyright showed me how wrong that thinking was. I imagined the police showing up at my door if I continued down that path, and it scared me.
Now, I plan to share what I've learned with my friends who are still doing the same thing. In our group chat, photos downloaded from all over the internet are still being shared daily. I feel like I've become a 'copyright teacher' now, and the thought of guiding my friends away from infringing copyright makes me feel a little more grown-up, a little more… cool. Who should I start with? Ah, there goes Misol. "Misol!"
