On the 25th of September, 2019, a day like any other, no one could predict how one mistake could change everything. Jobs for CARING MOMS Malaysia, one of the more successful Facebook pages, was deactivated and thousands of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. Co-founders, Umesh and Shera feared something terrible had happened and began to investigate. What had happened was that a member had inadvertently advertised a product together with media of the item. Unfortunately, the item was copyrighted and thus protected under Facebook’s strict intellectual property (IP) act. When the owner of the IP was notified about this, a complaint was made to Facebook who decided to take action by closing the Jobs for CARING MOMS Malaysia’s page.
This was done without prejudice as on Facebook’s Community Standards, it states that “Facebook’s Terms of Service do not allow people to post content that breaches someone else’s intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark.” Umesh and Shera were very careful in collating and ensuring that advertisements displayed on the page adhered to Facebook’s terms and conditions but with over twenty thousand members, there were some that unfortunately breached them.
Now how do we avoid future faux pas and ensure that future advertisements are IP-safe?
- Create unique advertisements. Hire specialists who are well versed in creating unique content. Freelancers can be hired and they are not expensive. Use sites like www.fiverr.com for affordable freelancers.
- Get suitable licenses from the copyright holders. It’s critical to get the proper licenses and written consent assent from the IP owners.
- Use copyright-free media. Copyright-free media is accessible on the web and not subject to different sorts of IP. Sites like www.pixabay.com is a good place to start.
The silver lining resulted in CARING MOMS become leaner and more focused on their goal of “creating an ecosystem for the targeted disadvantaged and displaced individuals (mainly women) in the community to develop and grow their entrepreneurial skills.”
Within 2 days of its relaunch, 10,000 members were added into the group and currently here are over twenty-eight thousand members foraging their entrepreneurial paths towards greater success and victory. Join us in the “new” Jobs for CARING MOMS Malaysia group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caringmoms.my.
