Copyrights

[annip]

Continued from: Nanday/Sun Conure?

Since it isn't a bird-related topic I figured I could still continue it here. People seem to have interesting opinions about copyrights and I would still like to see comments on my last post there...

[theAnsu]

Copyrights aren't really a matter of opinion, not at least in the sense dicussed in that thread.

Nobody should be able or forced to take copyright infringement as something that naturally and inevitably comes along with publishing your work online. All pictures on the internet are protected by law, every single one of them belongs to someone. Image theft (which saving other people's work on your computer and putting it on display without the owner's specific permission always is) should never be considered a normal practice, or gain acceptance because abusing other people's rights is way too common. Just if something illegal can be useful doesn't make it all good, fine and okay, now does it?

Please, always respect the owners of the pictures, and ask their permission. Nobody has the right to take and redistribute material that belongs to other people. It is a violation of the copyright laws (regardless of where you happen to live or which picture you rip), as well as an extremely rude thing to do.

[wildirish]

This is the legal definition internet law and our opinions really don't hold water at all, face it right or wrong pictures are used, the simple fact is that permission should be asked, it just doesn't always happen, I usually link to something, but have saved things for my own use and not in my photobucket acct.

I personally have no problem when my pictures are used as long as the person does NOT claim them as theirs and is not trying to make money from them. If I didn't want my pictures out there I would simply not upload them to the net at all!

I also think starting a new thread after a mod closed it isn't right either, it is just continueing a debate that is already on here somewhere if you search for it.

[jenseits]

Hi Annip,

I sympathize. As a bit of a Shutterbug myself, I'm constantly having to weigh whether I want to post a picture and risk having someone take it or not. You're right, if it's any consolation... Any photo you take and post on the Internet is automatically your copyright, whether you say so explicitly or not, and other people are not permitted to "distribute" it. The laws are old and don't really take the internet into consideration much, so a standard has evolved organically that *linking* to a file is okay.

You're in your right to ask for them to be removed if you find them posted somewhere.

That said, this is the internet and this stuff happens a lot - it's not malicious; most people have NO idea how copyright works and honestly don't know that "not claiming ownership" of it still doesn't make it fair use.

Everyone here really does mean well! Please don't think anyone here had ill intent. Just a gentle request to remove the images should suffice.

p.s. And I use Flickr, which has a setting that makes it more difficult for the average person to copy your pictures

[birdlady49]

I'm on a crocheting board, where copyright issues are constantly brought up. Even if something is on the internet and doesn't cost anything to download it for personal use, it is illegal to distribute it -- either online or via private emails.

You must get permission from the author/photographer/etc. If you do not receive an answer to your reproduction request, do not assume that it is okay to use the piece. It is not. If you do not get permission, assume you CANNOT use it.

Copyright expires about 70-75 years after the author'/photographer's/etc. death. However, if someone purchases the rights, you must go back to square one and get permission to reproduce (both hard copy and electronic copy).

[wildirish]

Yep it comes up alot on a knitting board I am on too LOL! As far as I know only the "freebies" posted on the actual sites aren't CR the same since the company that made then is distributing them for free on thier site.

[theAnsu]

Sometimes a thread is closed because of discussion irrelevant to the original subject, and yet it can spark pretty relevant discussion suitable for another topic. For example concern for blatant disregard for the international copright laws can be seen as one, when the issue presents itself here.

I personally have no problem when my pictures are sued as long as the person does NOT claim them as theirs and is not trying to make money from them. If I didn't want my pictures out there I would simply not upload them to the net at all!

Redistributing pictures that are not yours kind of does imply that by doing it you basically claim to have the right to do it, doesn't it? ...Which then again is practically the same as claiming that you hold the rights to the picture. In other words, yes, image theft is image theft no matter how you phrase using other people's property. Yes, it is unfortunately common, but there's still no reason to tolerate it.

[annip]

I don't actually mind that much about someone taking that photo (since its not art or anything that special to me), but I just get a bit annoyed when people steal pictures. I wouldn't do it..

I thought it would be a good thing to talk about, since there are clearly some people who just don't care (or know) about copyrights, so I started this topic. As far as I know that previous one was closed mainly because it was in the wrong place and not because it was against any rules or anything so why it is so rude to continue it? There were only few posts, and most of them said something about ignoring copyrights... or at least they could be undestood that way and I didn't want to leave it to that..

[wildirish]

I never said it was rude, only that the same thing was on the board somewhere at one time. I just didn't want to see it turn ugly or get closed again, that is all.

I agree, like I said permission should be asked, and if you see one of your pictures, text whatever, you have the right to ask that it be removed, or at least that the person link to your site instead.

I think in situations like this, showing hybrids, mutations etc, it is just that most people dont think about it, they just want a comparrison. Another board that I am on flat out states that if something isn't "yours" you must provide a link to the original author, or have written consent to use it!

[Valo's Moirana]

as far as i know, there's something called "fair use" in the US copyright law - meaning an image can be used without violating property rights for educational and scientific purposes

please don't quote me on it - i'm an engineer, not a law person