information and picture theft...

Thought I would bring this to everyones attention. When pictures are 'borrowed' from the internet without asking permission this is actually theft. (I don't have anybody in mind at this time so relax and read on )
One of my favorite sites is having this problem. Please read the link and think twice before borrowing pictures.


Carol

 

You're absolutely right. Actually, "borrowing" anything that doesn't have explicit permission to be copied and used is theft. This means that written works (not to mention audio and video files) count, as well. (This is why most forums want you to post a link if you're going to copy more than a few lines). As a writer, I would be pretty ticked off if I discovered that someone was claiming my writing as their own, or even just posting it without my permission.

Almost as obnoxious as media thieves are those who take s that they have not made and claim them as their own, admonishing any who would "steal" "their" pictures. These are usually fan sites, and the pictures in question are still shots from the TV series/movie/whatever in question. The s were originally copied from the official site, or from another source, yet these people claim dominion over them.

 

hey guys, off course I don't support theft, but i've borrowed many pics of like new 7 wonders from google so that everyone around here can take a look and gain knowledge about world architecture, I just wanted to share it with everyone; I mean I can't visit all those places and take pictures of them myself; I didn't have anything else in mind just wanted to inform everyone about new 7 wonders, is it theft :-\? I think it will help others, especially kids; they will learn many things from these pics, right?

 

I think if you credit Google for them, they might be ok.. i'm not sure if those are public domain or not.

 

If you want to share pictures or articles then post the link to them instead of the actual picture or article. Goggle doesn't own the pictures you find when you Goggle, whoever took the pic does.
I just wanted to remind everybody what the correct internet etiquette is so we don't get into trouble.

 

It's unlikely that pictures from news sources, such as the "Wonders" pictures, will get you in trouble. While not technically public domain, their use is not terribly harmful to the owning parties. Crediting these parties would be a nice gesture, though. Also, what you are using the pictures for is a big thing. Let's use Butterfly's original example. Somebody on the forums is trying to identify a loach. The only example of a kuhlI loach that you can come up with is Martin's picture. You post the picture (leaving the copyright on it) here, asking if that's what the loach looks like. Give Martin credit for his picture, and if he's got a website, maybe nudge people in his direction if they like his photography. This is what I would consider acceptable use of web content. Basically the same thing can be applied to other forms of media.
But if you are using someone else's picture as content on your website or are using it in some sort of commercial manner, permission should be given before use.
It's kind of like the pictures in magazines. Technically, it is illegal for kids to copy them for school projects. (In fact, the library that I worked at had a brief period where they considered not allowing the copier to be used on any published material. During this time, the librarians could not help people figure the copier out if they were copying magazines and such. Thankfully, that period passed). However, I don't think that anybody really thinks that this is morally wrong. But if you scan the picture from a magazine and put it into your own publication, or even just start making copies and distributing them for the heck of it, that's when things become an issue.

 

If at all possible it's best to ask permission before using or just link to an article or picture.
Carol

 

But I think we should not discourage people to attach pics and links, after all the Internet is all about sharing info and gaining knowledge, we must use links and pics if it helps somebody but in a legal way off course.

 

But I think we should not discourage people to attach pics and links, after all the Internet is all about sharing info and gaining knowledge, we must use links and pics if it helps somebody but in a legal way off course.

No we don't want to discourage anybody just help you do it in a correct and legal way
Carol