Hi. I'm starting a product review site, and I'm wondering how to get the photos of the trademarked products that will be reviewed on the site, without violating the copyright law. Are press releases and newsletter feeds also covered by it, or can i use the photos in them?
If your talking about using a product, then when you get ready to review it, you take a picture of it, you are ok, its considered fair use, and you would actually be more legal than about 95% of review blogs out there. Generally, with a press release, it is ok to use phrases and photos from it, also under fair use. But, different judges would view it different, and you could still be sued, however, you would probably win.
This means that the photos from press releases are free to use? I intend to let visitors review the products that I have not used, therefor i can't take a picture of it. Also, the site is not in USA.
Generally press releases are considered fair use. I would personally consult a copyright attorney on this one, or research some sort of case law. You can also contact the copyright office, they should be able to provide some information.
Most large companies that manufacture products will also have some sort of press packet with images they would prefer that you use. If you contact the company, they will generally supply product images. Be careful not to just use any image of the product that you find elsewhere. Those could be images owned by the affiliate, a stock image company, or they could be press pictures that are only given out to vendors of a certain level. Several companies have different press packages depending on the purpose (sales vs. reviews) of use and/or level of sales (small retailer vs WalMart).