Reminder about using copyright protected material and images

I keep fish · Jun 9, 2012

Just a question how are you going to find all the photos that belong to petfishtalk? And remove them.

I keep fish · Jun 9, 2012

That was a strait out answer lol.We could have a mass fishlore exploring and if people find some they msg you. Idkk

sirdarksol · Jun 9, 2012

Actually, here's a beginning of this:
If you have posted any photos that you have not taken yourself, please go back and make sure you have appropriate permission/credit posted. If it's something from Wikipedia (the images of which are all supposed to be open to public use) or some other free use location, please post so. If you have a picture from this person, remove it.

I'm sure the mods are all going to be on the lookout, too, but we are only a small group of people. If each of you looks at your own posts, then we're much more likely to find any other images and remove them.

Lucy · Jun 9, 2012

I hope this thread stresses to the members (some of whom have been less than understanding) the importance of what we mods try to be dilegent about.
Crediting someone else's info or asking permission to use a picture before posting.

ryanr · Jun 9, 2012

Step one - our members would know if you've used their website to source images. If you have, please be sure to check the images you've posted, and remove them. Don't credit the source, just remove them.

Step Two - Members should no longer use petfishtalk for any image or information and re-post it here at Fishlore, period!

Step Three - as is always stressed, if you'd like to post the work of another individual, seek permission first. At the very least credit the source.

I hope this goes to show that the attitude of "who's going to know/they won't find out" etc, well guess what, they find out, and it's taken very seriously

psalm18.2 · Jun 9, 2012

Are there any other sites that have written fishlore? Maybe a sticky w/ a list of sites not to use is in order.

sirdarksol · Jun 9, 2012

psalm18.2 said:
Are there any other sites that have written fishlore? Maybe a sticky w/ a list of sites not to use is in order.

I believe this is the only one.
However...

Images must either be marked in some way that they are open for use (images on Wikipedia are always public domain, as is stated in Wikipedia's guidelines/rules), or permission must be gained before copying them and using them in a Fishlore post. If you can't get permission, then simply post a link to the website and indicate what picture you're looking at. There are technically grey areas in the law, where copyrighted info may be used for "Fair Use," which can be for scholarly purposes, parody, criticism, etc... However, don't worry about Fair Use. Just get permission.

psalm18.2 · Jun 9, 2012

sirdarksol said:
I believe this is the only one.
However...

Images must either be marked in some way that they are open for use (images on Wikipedia are always public domain, as is stated in Wikipedia's guidelines/rules), or permission must be gained before copying them and using them in a Fishlore post. If you can't get permission, then simply post a link to the website and indicate what picture you're looking at. There are technically grey areas in the law, where copyrighted info may be used for "Fair Use," which can be for scholarly purposes, parody, criticism, etc... However, don't worry about Fair Use. Just get permission.

How does one know if the image or link is copyrighted? Will it state it?

sirdarksol · Jun 9, 2012

Links cannot be copyrighted. You can always post a link to a website without legal issues.
Images are automatically copyrighted to the person who took them, and remain copyrighted until 70 years after their death. The only way this changes is if the one who took the image purposefully releases the image into the public domain. In other words, if it is not marked as public domain (often in a case where a website says "all images are in the public domain" or something of the sort), then figure it's copyrighted.

psalm18.2 · Jun 9, 2012

Oh, I see. I checked out the website mentioned and it has a disclaimer.

So if I posted a photo on say fishlore. Anyone can use my photo in the public because it's not copyrighted? Or does fishlore have a disclaimer too?

sirdarksol · Jun 9, 2012

Nope. You took the picture. It is automatically copyrighted to you. If you find your image used elsewhere, you are within your legal rights to demand that they take it down. The only way for the picture to not be copyrighted to you is if you purposefully release it into the public domain. This would be something along the lines of "Here is a picture of my betta. Feel free to use this picture as you wish."

Fishlore does have one disclaimer, I believe, that your posts on Fishlore are property of Fishlore. This is to keep people from "taking their ball and going home" when they get upset about something on the forum. They can't legally demand that their posts be taken off of the forum. However, this doesn't mean that Fishlore owns the image. Just that you are stating that Fishlore may use said image in the post you made.

Aquarist · Jun 11, 2012

Reminder

Thanks!

Ken

sirdarksol · Jun 12, 2012

Bump and clarification.

Here's a quick rundown of applicable law and how we're making sure they're followed on Fishlore:

Text, whether it's from a magazine, book, or website, can be copied if it's a small snippet of a larger article/book, and if it is appropriately credited. This means we need the website it came from, or the name and author of the book, or the name, author, and issue date or number of the magazine article. If you need to post more than 2-3 sentences of a text to get your point across, just post the website instead, and direct readers to the section of text you're looking at.

Images, if they were not taken by you, are automatically copyrighted by the artist/photographer. Do not use them unless you have permission, or they are in the public domain. The internet is not public domain. A given website must have something to the effect of "you can use these images however you want" or "these images are released to the public domain." Images in Wikipedia are all supposed to be in the public domain, so it would be okay to use them. In the case of images where you have permission or they were in the public domain, credit them, as well. You liked the image enough to use it. Give the source a bit of advertising in return.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. It's not just the law, it's also the right thing to do. Someone worked to produce that article or image. They deserve to have it treated as such.

ryanr · Jun 12, 2012

Here here SDS. Thanks for the clarification.

Lucy · Mar 1, 2015

Time for a bump and an update to post #8.
https://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/forum-announcements-suggestions/128994-copyright-infringement-notice-again-aquariumfish-net.html

Saturn · Mar 7, 2015

Small question, what about when it comes to avatars? Like, what if we are using an avatar that we randomly found on the internet? In the past years on forums I would go around online and just take a photo I liked and use it as my avatar but it just recently dawned on me that that might not be okay to do (hence why I've been hesitant to do the same on here).

Dolfan · Mar 7, 2015

I'm not a mod, but I think the same rules apply. If it is not your photo then odds are you can't use it. It has to be your photo or maybe some publicly open photo that has no copyright restrictions.

Work on taking a photo of your favorite tank, fish, plant, sport, car, whatever and make that your avatar, and then you have no issues. I like my shrimp so I made it my avatar. Lucy likes putting her cat in her aquarium so she made it her avatar, haha.

Saturn · Mar 7, 2015

Alright, thank you Dolfan!
I'll try and figure out something to use (I mean it's not like I need an avatar, but just like to have them, haha)

Reminder about using copyright protected material and images

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