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Using other people's images - copyright issues

  1. sentientmouse
    Member

    I've been careful to use either photos that I've taken myself, or clip art from public domain websites (and I'm generally scared to use those unless I also do an image reverse look-up to double-check).
    Yet I see so many beautiful blogs where people are using a lot of images and I never see citations of any sort. I'd like to start using more images with my poems and fiction, but I'd like to do it correctly. Is there some sort of blanket copyright notice that can be used or should I credit every photo right on the photo, say, in the caption? Sometimes it's very hard to determine the source of photos and artwork that I run across on the web because it tends to get passed around a bazillion times. I use TinEye to research the simple clip art images that I use, but I'm pretty sure that with some of the nicer photos and art, that will return so many other locations where they've been used that finding the original to give credit will prove to be very difficult.
    Anyway, I don't want to do this incorrectly, so that's why I've been very conservative in the use of clip art on my blog. How does everyone else (those who care) find original copyright holders, and does each image need the citation right next to it or can I have a citations page where I identify the copyright owners, sort of like a references page in a term paper?

    Thanks,
    Mark

    The blog I need help with is sentientmouse.com.

  2. timethief
    Member

    These are on point and may be helpful:
    http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2011/09/15/copyright-and-public-domain/
    http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2012/07/17/free-images-for-your-blog-or-website/
    http://www.blogherald.com/2013/02/10/bloggers-guide-to-creative-commons-in-pictures/

  3. timethief
    Member

    P.S. We have only technical support forums that cannot be used for blog promotion or discussion purposes. http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/forums-housekeeping?replies=1

  4. sentientmouse
    Member

    I'm sorry - I didn't mean to use the forum incorrectly - the link that you've provided states that the forums can contain questions (as the questions and support sections were merged). I guess I'm confused - where should I have asked this question, if not here among peers who could point me in the proper direction for how to cite content (and I do appreciate your links regarding copyright)?

    Thanks :-)

  5. timethief
    Member

    Good then the information at the first link I posted above answers your copyright questions.

  6. justjennifer
    Member

    First of all, kudos to you for wanting to do the right thing!

    My recommendation is that if you don't know the source of the image, don't use it.

    FWIW-someone contacted me via a comment to ask if they could use one of my images as the header on their site. Since the vast majority of images on my photography site are under the Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commerical, No Derivatives license, I had no problem as long as they gave me credit for the image, which they did with a link back to my site in a text widget in their site's sidebar.

    In your case, since you are going to be using many different images, you should probably note the image credit in each post, either in the post (which I think is preferable) or on a credits page.

    Many images you may find are free to use for non-commercial purposes which you can search for by license on Google and flickr. Those same sites will let you know the conditions under which you can use their images.

    Good luck and best wishes.

  7. sentientmouse
    Member

    @ JustJennifer - thanks for your feedback. I am thinking that if I choose to use an image with each post, then your suggestion to give credit as I go will probably be best.

    Anyway, I know how much work goes into any sort of original content and I don't want to leave the original source without proper credit :-)

  8. sentientmouse
    Member

    @TimeThief - did you just completely dodge my other question about where to post non-technical questions? LOL... :-)

    Seriously though, I'm just teasing you - it's no problem. I really don't want to abuse the forums - that's the only reason that I asked. Everyone here is very helpful and being completely honest, I think that you've probably added answers/input to the majority of my questions over the year and a half that I've been blogging here :-)

  9. timethief
    Member

    I wasn't dodging. There aren't any ongoing discussion threads here these days and I knew what I posted would answer yours. Yes, I have answered many questions and yours were probably among them. Over the last 6 years I have answered 1977 pages of questions and each page has 30 threads in it. I ♥ WordPress - can you tell?

  10. sentientmouse
    Member

    Yes, you're a WordPress superstar - I hope they throw a couple of free upgrades your way now and again ;-)

  11. timethief
    Member

    I have never had a free upgrade ... lol :D and I don't think that's going to happen.

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