When building a PowerPoint presentation it can be very tempting to search the internet for the perfect photo, image, graph, or piece of music to liven up your slides and illustrate a particular point. However, if you do not pay attention to copyright you can expose yourself and your organization to potential legal liability. Similar risks can arise if an outside presenter is invited to present to your organization.

The materials used and the public presentation of the materials used in such a presentation can have legal consequences if any part of the presentation belongs to a copyright owner who has not given the necessary permission to use their copyrighted works. In 2024, we live in a digital age where these risks are ever growing due to increased reliance on online platforms to share content with colleagues, customers, and other members of the public.