Can I pay people for uploading images to my site with PayPal, is that legal? What if somebody uploads image found on my competitor pages? Can I get AdSense ban if somebody uploads image found on my competitors site?
I think you can hire one person to do that or may be this is legal because o have seen many site which pays you for uploading video's and you can put your adsense code there , than there shouldn't be any problem with photo's also . If you are looking for someone posting and uploading video's , plz do contact me with cheap rates and big and large amount work .
Nothing stops you from paying someone for uploading images to your site. However this creates an incentive for them to upload as many images as possible, increasing the chances that they will start stealing and uploading copyrighted images to your site in order to get the most money. If someone uploads an image from your competitor, they can file a DMCA complaint against your site, with both your host, major search engines and Adsense. If enough complaints from various sites are received Adsense can in all likelihood ban your account, especially since they state that you cannot have Adsense ads on pages that contain copyrighted images (which are used without permission). You are also opening yourself to legal action from the copyright holders, where they can sue you for damages (under US law, if I remember correctly, it can be a total of $150 000 per image). Since you will have users upload the images you will have to have them complete a form stating that they own the copyright to the image, and keep exact records of who uploads which image (and the user's real name, address etc.) in order to at least have some defense in the case of legal action.
You receive limited protection under the "safe harbor" clause of the DMCA provided that you meet the following requirements: Also see: Cornell Law School Safe harbor info Chilling Effects DMCA FAQ Keytlaw.com DMCA info The fact that you are displaying ads on the pages containing the images, and paying someone to upload them could possibly negate any possible protection under safe harbor. My best advice would be to go see a lawyer that specializes in online law or IP law.
The only ones that I would really worry about would be any images from Getty. They just send you a bill for $XXXX.xx and tell you to pay or be sued. If the only thing on the page is the photo, then that would probably negate protection since you profited solely from the infringement. Just keep an eye on the photos they upload and you will be practically fine. Most wouldn't waste money suing if you agree to take it down and were truly not aware of the infringement.