I wondered if anyone knew of any good web resources about the legality of using images from the web. In particular, if you see an image that you would like to add to your site, but it is by an unknown photographer, is it ok to use?
I can tell you the answer right now: no It doesn't matter if the photographer is unknown, unless the image is in the public domain, you cannot legally use it without permission.
It's the same as any other content. Just because you don't know anything doesn't mean you can use something. Can you show me an "unknown photographer" anyway? I'll talk to the photographer and see if he/she knows about him or herself. Mind if I steal your stuff since you are "unknown?" I hope you can see how this argument makes no sense. If you want public domain stuff, try the government.
Thanks for the replies. I just want to clarify by 'unknown' I didn't mean someone not famous or well known, or that I didn't try to find the source so I considered it 'unknown'. I certainly don't want to steal anyone's images. I saw an image that was submitted to a site anonymously. So there is no way to contact the person who took the picture. That's what I meant by unknown. What is considered public domain? Thanks, Gil
Because public domain laws have changed many times, there's no 1 answer. In general, any "item" (image, song, story, etc.) that is older than 75 years automatically goes into the public domain. Sometimes the creator of said item will give it up to the public domain before then. You'd have to do an extensive search to guarantee a particular item is in the public domain, usually by hiring an expert.
Thanks for the answer Sketch. btw, took a look at your site, looks great. I'm going to have to go out and rent Havoc now.