Each time I hear the copy rights issue I remember the documentary “The internets own boy” Aaron Swartz. Aaron is a hero to most “except for the government and some large publishers”. He believed that information wants to be free and access to information must be open to all. Even though information wants to be free “if we all agree” it still needs to be cited and ownership of this free content must be labeled, referenced, and cited properly. I think this is very important specially when we want to build on this knowledge and expand. Research is always built on other findings and this is how we develop and improve.
On the penalties part each country/region has its own policies. An action must be taken against whoever uses content in a none proper “legal” manner. Yet teachers are somehow protected by law to an extent when content is used for educational purpose (Saab 2010).
What you write online stays online. I strongly believe that we all must be careful while sharing our personal life and other media on the social media. The access levels and policies keep changing and it is possible to expose your content by mistake. Even commenting on posts may get you in trouble “supporting or disagreeing”.
Saab, S. (2010). Copyright basics for teacher librarians. Access, 24(4), 38-43.