avatarScribbling Lion

Summary

Bloggers are facing legal issues for using unlicensed or creative commons images without proper credit or understanding of the licenses, prompting some to use their own photographs to avoid such problems.

Abstract

The article discusses recent incidents where bloggers have been sued or received legal demands for using images on their blogs without the proper licenses or permissions. Despite some images being under Creative Commons licenses, there have been cases where bloggers have faced legal action. This has led to a heightened awareness of the risks associated with image use on the internet, with some, like Susie Kearley, advocating for the use of personal photographs to mitigate these issues. The article references several stories, including one where a photographer faced legal action for using an image from Unsplash, and another where Cory Doctorow was pursued over a minor issue with a Creative Commons image. The piece also mentions advice from legal professionals and examples of court cases, suggesting that while the risk is low when crediting Creative Commons images correctly, it is not non-existent.

Opinions

  • The author implies that using one's own photographs is a safer alternative to avoid legal troubles associated with image licensing.
  • There is a perception that even Creative Commons images can lead to legal complications, despite the intention of these licenses to facilitate sharing and use.
  • The article suggests that the legal enforcement around image use can be predatory, referencing a "new breed of superpredator" in the context of copyright enforcement.
  • The use of Unsplash for sourcing images is seen as a relatively safe option due to its automatic crediting feature, but it is not without risks, as evidenced by a case mentioned in the article.
  • The author emphasizes the importance of understanding and adhering to image licensing terms to prevent legal issues, indicating a concern for the potential financial and legal impact on bloggers.

People Are Being Sued For The Images They Use On Their Blogs!

This is why I’ll be using my own pictures

Author’s own photo

I’ve come across a lot of stories recently, highlighting people who have got into trouble for using other people’s images on their blogs. Some of the images were used without a license because people copied the images off the internet without permission. But others were creative commons images, used in good faith!

This story by Susie Kearley tells of when a work colleague downloaded an image without a license and the legal problems that ensued…

This story by The Garrulous Glaswegian tells of a blogger who was sued because she used images she found online, without ensuring she had a license to use them first…

It gets really messy when you realize that people have been pursued through the courts for using creative commons images too. For example, when photographer Simon Palmer received a legal demand after using a CC image on his website…

This happened to Cory Doctorow too. He wrote a detailed post on Medium about how he was pursued by a legal enforcement firm for using a creative commons image, over some minor issue…

Finally, Susie Kearley wrote about people being sued for using creative commons images, looking at what legal professionals have to say on the matter along with some examples of court cases.

I’ll be using my own photographs on Medium.

If you’re using creative commons images, the risk of running into a problem should be very small as long as you’re crediting them correctly — and that’s automatic with the Unsplash facility, which makes it a pretty good choice!

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