Legally? No. You cannot use any picture you just find online unless you have consent from the ORIGINAL copyright holder, or have a valid paid and leased license.
Hi, thanks for the reply... So the millions out there are taking their chances? Basically I think less than 1% of the people out there haven't got the consent from the original copyright holder or license.
I am not sure what you mean by your post - with the emphasis on the word original. Only the current copyright holder would need to give permission. If I hold the copyright to an image and then sell it to you, then you are the only one with rights to the image. I, as the original copyright holder, would have no rights or authority to give permission. Did I misunderstand your post? Yes.
I use images taken from other peoples sites all the time. I'm sure it not %100 legal but for the most part no one is going to do anything unless you are really causing problems with it. + you could always just edit the pics a bit and "make them your own"
yes you can use those celebrity pictures, just remember: you can ONLY use pictures without a COPYRIGHT... you can find some celebrity pictures here all pictures on that site are free for downloads... thanks..
What I meant by "original" was that it's not taken from a blog, or a website that does not have usage rights (or maybe they do - but that doesn't mean you automatically will as well) Original meaning - they are THE copyright holder. (original, or purchased, etc) Hope that cleared that bit up
Definitely no! But I know many people use them and then if they are contacted about it, they immediately take them down and put other pics. But yeah, legally no!!!! And you shouldnt if you dont want a headache.
Wrong. Pictures have an automatic copyright. You can't use any of those pictures without permission. The celebrity usually isn't the one who will sue you, it's the photographer. A usage fee of several thousand per image is not uncommon - and they don't have any obligation to warn you. While they may only catch a small percentage, you have to decide if you want to take the financial risk.
I have a very similiar question: if a user on my website uses a picture of a celebrity from lets say Wikipedia and puts it in his profile how bad is that? Would putting a notice that I'm not legaly responsable for the data site users enter themlselves on my website mean anything? I guess that the worst things can get is a get a warning to remove a picture. Am I right?
And why are all those pictures copyright free exactly? They were obviously taken by professional photographers. Seeing as the site you're linking to is your own you should be able to give us some detailed answers to my question.
The worst thing that can happen is that you get sued. You'd probably have a fair defence under the safe harbour provisions of the DMCA, but you'd still have to shell out for a lawyer. With that said, in general they just ask you to take the pics down.
Yes, in some cases the DMCA can work, but since you are responsible for the content on your site the photographer, etc (whoever owns the picture) does not necessarily have to 'ask' you to remove the picture. He/she can just go straight for the lawyer and you would end up being sued. My motto: Don't use a picture unless you know straight from the horses mouth you have the rights to use it!
I fully agree with this post. Because of copyright reasons I only use Royalty free images. But then,if you buy RF images from ebay,you might find yourself in the wrong corner. This has happend to a few internet marketers Dick
I would never buy anything like that off of E-bay, most of the sellers are scammers who don't have the rights to sell the pics in the first place. Go to a reputable site like istockphoto or the like and buy direct from them. It'll cost you more but it's a hell of a lot safer.