How To Avoid Copyright Infringement

Source: Vevo

Was Vanilla Ice's hit song "Ice Ice Baby" a rip off of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie?

Ice Ice Baby sparked a big controversy in 1990 because it contained a very similar bass line to Under Pressure. You can compare it for yourself here. The reason for this controversy is because Vanilla Ice's bass line riff wasn't different enough to be recognized as an original work. Vanilla Ice thought that it was different enough that he could avoid any royalties or licensing fees from the David Bowie.You always have to need to have proper licensing when sampling a song. In the end, however, he did admit to sampling the song in this 2006 interview and paid David Bowie 4 million dollars for the publishing rights of the song in an out of court settlement.

How to avoid copyright

If you are looking to create content, It would be wise to know the rules and regulations with creating content. Copyright laws protects pretty much any original creation, so to avoid breaking these laws you need to be mindful of the following to avoid infringement:

1. Always give credit to appropriate sources
   
   From paraphrasing a passage, to using a using similar ideas in media, you should always give credit when it is due.  For video and music particularly, you will be required to obtain a license or permission from the publisher in order to use a copyrighted work.
2. Know what is, and what isn't copyrighted
   
   Before you look to use someone else's work, you need to find out if it is copyrighted or not. If it is, you must follow proper guidelines to ensure that you aren't infringing on the video, however if you aren't you may be free to use it. There is also many licensed media that allow you to freely use their content (as long as you provide attribution) such as: everystockphoto, shutterstock, freemusicarchive, etc.
3. Being creative and understanding fair dealing
   
   When you are looking to use a copyrighted and trying to make it your own, you need to transform it to be recognizably different from the original. If you aren't transforming the video then you need to make sure that it passes the two-part test.

Now that you know the rules, go forth and make your dreams come true! (If you dreams happen to be content creation remember to keep it fair). 

Is Intermittent Fasting the Best Way to Burn Fat?

fasting/intermittent fasting/IF/fat/weight loss/

When I first found out about intermittent fasting, I couldn't believe what I was reading. You could not have to worry about calories, and shred your stubborn body fat away, and you can do it whenever you can fit it into your schedule!

Intermittent fasting, (IF for short), is a trending diet that allows for a certain time frame in which you consume your food. It doesn't tell you to restrict your calories, but you will typically be eating less calories overall because of the time frame. 

Photo by GalapogoPhotos

Intermittent fasting works because after a 12 hour fasting period, your body shifts over to burning fat as an energy source because your glycogen stores have been used up. IF also gives benefits such as: Improving cognitive function, increasing growth hormone secretion, reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, increase testosterone levels in men by up to 2000% and much more.

Photos by LeanGains.com

A typical IF diet is a 16:8 fast; a 16 hour fasting period and 8 hour feasting window, (although some
people go up to a 24 hour fast). This may seem like a bit much, but you should remember that you will be spending a majority of the fasting period sleeping.

Not all fasts are equal!

Women must be a bit more careful when doing intermittent fasting than men. This is because women are very sensitive to hormones and it is recommended that if you have any symptoms of hormonal imbalances (depressed mood, great fatigue, bloating, irregular periods, etc), that you stop the fast.

Conclusion

This post is way too short to fully grasp everything there is to know about intermittent fasting. That's why I would suggest doing own research if you're interested in this topic, and try it out for a couple of weeks and see where it gets you. 

You don't need to stay on a strict diet for this, so give it a shot!