Blogs & copyright

[HillyHugger]

How does the law stand on using other peoples drawings/photos whatever on a blog . Is a general notice to the effect ' I will remove anything if asked' enough ?

[Buenchico]

It's a civil offence to publish (via a blog, or otherwise) any material to which another person owns the copyright, unless you have their permission to do so.

In practice though, hardly any actions for copyright infringement ever arrive before the courts. That's because there's no legal aid for such actions and anyone wanting to take you to court would need to have a great deal of money to fund their case. In general, the only exceptions are where the copyright is owned by large and litigious companies. (Don't even consider using anything which could possibly be regarded as infringing the copyright of McDonald's or Disney unless you want to face lengthy legal battles).

Most people who have their copyright breached on the internet probably never even know that it's happened. Others might not be bothered. (Several have my photographs, on the internet, have been 'borrowed' without my permission, for use on other sites. I just regard it as a compliment to my photographic skills).

Those who are bothered by your use of their materials are far more likely to complain to the site which hosts the blog, than to seek legal redress. That company would then be legally required to remove the materials. (In practice, they'd probably just remove the entire blog). But a notice, of the type you refer to, is (even though it carries no weight legally) usually sufficient to forestall any potential problems.

Chris

[HillyHugger]

Thanks , much as I'd expected