17.6 Copyright Infringement-Ownership of Valid Copyright-Definition is a legal concept which states that only the rightful owner of a valid copyright has the exclusive right to use, publish, and/or distribute a particular work. Copyright infringement occurs when someone other than the copyright holder exercises one or more of these exclusive rights without the copyright holder's permission. Types of 17.6 Copyright Infringement-Ownership of Valid Copyright-Definition include direct infringement, contributory infringement, and vicarious infringement.