Copyright Guidelines The rules behind everything we publish
This policy applies to all staff, editors, writers, contributors, research fellows, translators and photographers whose work appears on The Gulf Observer’s website, newsletters or social media accounts.
Copyright and Intellectual Property Guidelines
How published work is owned and licensed, what contributors may use, how others may reproduce our content, and what happens when they copy it without permission.
3Copyright and Intellectual Property Guidelines
3.1Ownership of published content
All content published by the Organization, including articles, research papers, photographs, graphics, posters, videos, logos and the website design, is protected under the Copyright Ordinance, 1962 of Pakistan and applicable international copyright conventions.
Unless agreed otherwise in writing, the writer keeps authorship of his or her work and grants the Organization a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide licence to publish, republish, translate, edit for length and style, archive and share it across all of the Organization’s platforms and those of its media partners.
3.2Originality of submissions
- Every submission must be the original work of the writer named in the byline.
- Plagiarism, including copying text, ideas or structure from another source without credit, is strictly prohibited.
- Previously published work may be submitted only if the writer discloses where it first appeared and holds the right to republish it.
3.3Use of third-party material
- Quotations from other sources must be brief, placed in quotation marks and clearly attributed.
- Images, charts, maps and videos may be used only if the writer owns them, holds a licence, or the material is in the public domain or under an open licence. The source and credit must be supplied with the submission. The writer is solely responsible for the use of such material and for any copyright claim arising from it; the Organization accepts no responsibility in this regard.
- Official material from governments and international bodies must be credited to the issuing body.
3.4Reproduction of the Organization’s content
- Other websites, publications and individuals may not reproduce the Organization’s content in full without prior written permission.
- A short excerpt (up to 100 words) may be shared, provided it is credited to The Gulf Observer and links back to the original article.
- Logos, mastheads and branded posters of the Organization may not be altered, imitated or used to imply endorsement.
- Authorised media partners may carry content under the terms agreed with the Organization.
3.5Copyright complaints
Anyone who believes their copyright has been infringed on the Organization’s platforms may write to the editorial office with details of the original work and the disputed content. Valid complaints will be reviewed promptly and infringing material removed or corrected.
3.6Legal action against unauthorised copying
If any organization, website, publication, social media account or individual is found copying, reproducing, republishing, translating or distributing the Organization’s news, articles, research, photographs, posters or other content without written permission or proper credit, the Organization reserves the full right to take legal action against them.
Such action may include:
- Issuing a legal notice demanding immediate removal of the copied content.
- Filing takedown complaints with hosting providers, search engines and social media platforms.
- Filing a civil suit for damages, compensation and injunction under the Copyright Ordinance, 1962 and other applicable laws.
- Lodging a complaint with the relevant authorities, including under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 where applicable.
All legal costs and expenses arising from such action shall be recoverable from the infringing party.