I read that hiring out work is not a recognized defense against a copyright infringement claim. Meaning that if a writer I hire takes shortcuts by blatantly paraphrasing copyrighted material, I can be held responsible. Is this true? If it is true, then how do I protect myself against unscrupulous writers who are setting me up to be sued at a later date?
The website owner is responsible for all content on their site. You may be able to turn around and sue the person you hired, but that in another issue. Run the article through a service like copyscape.
Thank you for your replies. It's strange that the victim of an infringement is allowed to sue an innocent party, rather than having to go after the actual infringer. I think if someone sued me in a situation like this, I would counter sue them for hurting my feelings -- since you can sue anyone for anything in America. Then they'd see for themselves what it's like to be subjected to an unfair lawsuit.
Yes, you'll be held responsible. That's why you should only hire actual pros (not just those that play one in the forums). Think about this. What happens if your $5 article is ripped off and you get a licensing fee for say $10,000? How about this. Let's say you got sued (or billed) and want your money back or want to seek damages. Is the writer you hired accessible for such an action? Copyscape is fools-gold. Anyone can go pick up a book, brochure, catalog or whatever, rip the text and you'd be none the wiser. It happens every day of every year. Sure, use it if you want, but don't think for two seconds that it's protecting you. Also, you don't have to copy someone verbatim to be infringing on their copyright. Play with fire and you'll get burned sooner or later. Heck, these low cost, non-pro, writers that do this stuff are an Intellectual Property lawyer's wet dream.