Strengthening Copyright Protection Through Ethical Design Practices in the Creative Industry

Purpose of the study: This study examines the role of design ethics as a preventive mechanism to reduce copyright infringement in creative media industries, while mapping common infringement patterns and relevant mitigation strategies in the digital transformation era. Materials and methods: Using a qualitative-descriptive approach, this study conducted a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed publications from 2021-2025, supplemented by conceptual-normative analysis of the relationship between professional ethics, platform governance, and content production behavior. Data sources included academic databases (Scopus, Web of Science), institutional reports (UNESCO, WIPO), and legal studies on intellectual property rights. Results: Findings indicate that design ethics operates at three interconnected levels: (1) individual level—encompassing creative integrity, licensing literacy, and attribution practices; (2) organizational level—comprising asset-use standard operating procedures, copyright audits, and compliance culture; and (3) ecosystem level—involving ethics education, platform transparency, and policies protecting creators. The study proposes an "Ethics-Compliance-Rights" framework that integrates design ethics principles with moral and economic rights compliance and content-production governance. Conclusions: Copyright infringement in creative media industries stems not only from legal ignorance but also from rapid production pressures, trend culture, misconceptions about free assets, and unclear platform governance. Effective prevention requires operationalizing design ethics through standard operating procedures, licensing documentation, regular training, visual plagiarism evaluation frameworks, and platform transparency. The proposed framework provides a comprehensive approach to reducing infringement risks while sustaining originality and quality in creative work.