
Barb Ingrassia teaches small businesses how to protect what they create from the content thieves lurking on the Internet. She has been studying and navigating the complicated and often confusing area of copyright law for over a decade. She also teaches them how to avoid getting in trouble when using content found on the internet. Her website is Manage Copyright. She has Certification in Copyright Management: CCM from the Special Libraries Association.
Barbara has spoken around the globe and specializes in minimizing legal risks while bringing peace of mind to her clients.
I took this photo of her from her website 🙂
Who do you serve?
I work with small businesses, solopreneurs, speakers, authors, and coaches and I equip them with copyright skills to achieve their goals and protect what they create.
What is their problem or the symptoms of that problem?

Not understanding how copyright can be a tool and a friend for long-term protection, thinking that doesn’t apply to me, it only applies to big movie companies, record studios, and famous people. I see copyright management as a risk management tool. One of the myths is that if it’s out there, it’s there to be used. Copy on the internet is eligible for copyright protection. I tell people to assume that anything on the internet is copyrighted. You might get a letter from an attorney that you have infringed on their copyright, asking not only for a take-down but to pay a fine. Images are a big problem.
What are the common mistakes or obstacles that people face when trying to solve this problem on their own?
We are both consumers and creators of copyright-protected content. Some people think, “As long as I give credit…” Attribution is not automatically permission. Don’t assume that if you don’t see ©, it’s free to use.
You don’t have to put a © on your work and you don’t have to register it with the U.S. Copyright Office, but those are 2 things that I highly recommend.
What is unique about your solution that helps people avoid these mistakes?
That education aspect and raising that awareness is very important to me. And bringing some fun to a heavy topic. It’s a form of business insurance. It’s a best practice.
I do 1-on-1 with clients and help people register copyright. You get protection for your life plus 70 years for about $50. That’s a great insurance policy.
I enjoy doing webinars and workshops on this topic.
What is one high-impact tip that our audience can implement?
Assuming that anything you find on the internet is protected. On the protection side, making sure that you have built a foundation of legal protection on your website.

What is one valuable resource tip that you can direct our audience to?
and
I have 10 Biggest Copyright Myths to make sure you don’t get in trouble when you use images and content that you didn’t create
5 Steps to Guard Your Goldmine, your intellectual property to make sure others don’t take YOUR content.
Where did you get all of this knowledge and how did you turn it into a business?
I come from an academic library background and as print evolved into electronic, I began to negotiate licenses. And that rolled over into copyright compliance education. Then in 2014, I founded my business, Manage Copyright. “Manage copyright, don’t let it manage you.”
What is one question I should have asked you that would bring great value to our audience?
Content theft is rampant. Sometimes they take your whole website. We think we’re too small to be affected, but we want to be found. Unfortunately, it’s not if you’ll suffer as a victim of some sort of content theft, it’s when.
Next steps
Don’t forget to download Barbara’s 2 free offers:
10 Biggest Copyright Myths to make sure you don’t get in trouble when you use images and content that you didn’t create
and
5 Steps to Guard Your Goldmine, your intellectual property to make sure others don’t take YOUR content.
Have questions? Have a copyright horror story to share? Leave it in the comments!