Useing images in blogs. (laws and stuff)

[zaza101]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering about copyright laws and stuff when it comes to using images in blogs

I have recently set up a blog, one of the things i want to include in it are movie reviews; now you cant really do a good review without pictures. I was wondering if i am allowed to take a snapshot from the dvd and/or google images of the movie to use in my review.

And is it illigal to post images/articles from another website if i acknowledge where i got it from

o and sorry for the really bad english in this,,,

And thanks in advance

[Ferox]

You must always assume that all images on the net have a copyright unless it specifies otherwise. Movies are copyrighted content.

There may be promotional images released from those movies that you can find, otherwise I don't think there's any law preventing you from taking a photo of the Dvd cover and using that.

[zaza101]

yea, recently i always seem to read the teams of use and stuff like that, just becouse i don't want to get into any trouble.

while i was researching the topic further i came across

There is a specific exemption in US copyright law called "fair use". It allows someone to use part of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research.

but only problem with that is i'm Not from the US and i cant seem to find any Australian law that will let me use copyrighted content.

O and i didn't mean the DvD cover i meant of the actual film (like snapshot with WinDVD of the film content)

Thanks again

[Nathan]

Here is a potentially useful 2006 article about Australian copyright law and its quazi-fair use interpretation:

LawFont.com No fair use for Australia – but some expanded exceptions for time-shifting, format-shifting, parody – and more (with a not-so-little serving of enforcement on the side) (updated)

[Web Design]

Legally you cannot use a photo you find on the web with out the photographer's permission.

Stock photography websites contain thousands of existing photographs that can be licensed for specific uses. A customer who uses stock photography instead of hiring a photographer can save time, effort and money. Typically publishers can either purchase exclusive rights to a single image or they can purchase a subscription of sorts. The subscriptions allow publishers to download a limited number of photos over a specified period of time.

Stock photo websites allow webmasters, marketers and publishers to locate pictures for their marketing and promotional materials without the hassle of organizing a photo shoot. With copyright laws businesses must be very careful in using unlicensed photos.

There are also risks to using "free" photographs. Many of the free websites contain collaborative works from multiple photographers and artists. While the websites attempt to monitor the images in their collections in violation of copyright laws, there are no guarantees. If you opt to use photographs or images from a free portal, it is important to keep this in mind.


My favorite stock photo website is Royalty Free Stock Photos

[trytolearnmore]

I don't know. IF the pic is in Google, why can't you use it? It is exposed anyway. But to be sure, i would add in a smoll font "Source: <Name of the photograper or site>"

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by trytolearnmore

I don't know. IF the pic is in Google, why can't you use it? It is exposed anyway. But to be sure, i would add in a smoll font "Source: <Name of the photograper or site>"

Just because the picture is in Google doesn't mean that they want it to be in Google. I've grown more careful over the years about my own image use. At best they will never notice, but there is chance that they will send you a take down notice, or worse yet send it to your host.

Worst case scenario they threaten to sue.

It's not worth it.

[trytolearnmore]

So... are you supposed to draw and photograph pics by yourself?

[QuirkyJessi]

Originally Posted by trytolearnmore

So... are you supposed to draw and photograph pics by yourself?

Sort of. There are plenty of pictures out there with Creative Commons licenses which give various levels of permission to other people to use their pictures. There's lots of content out there that people 'are' okay with you using, but you need to either specifically look for it or check in advance with the owners of pictures you want to use. Like WebDesign explained above, there are tons of stock images out there for this specific purpose, so just use the resources you have available to you and don't risk stepping on toes.

[trytolearnmore]

man, i never thought about it that way)) I posted google pics more than 2 years and never had a problem...

Ok, but what about IGoogle? There is a function called "Change Theme". And one of my themes is from Google. Is it not allowed too?