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Is it OK to take Images from Google?

Speaking from experience: No, it is not OK to take images from Google and post them to your own blog or website.

Copyright infringement on the internet is a real thing and it can cost you big bucks; trust us, we know, and so do thousands of other bloggers. Ask Kari DePhillips of The Content Factory or Roni Loren over at BlogHer. Both were hit with copyright infringement penalties in excess of $8,000 for posting a copyrighted photo to their personal or their client’s blog without permission.

You read that right, $8,000 just for using a photo.

The problem is, where copyrights are concerned, a photo is never just a photo; it is another person’s intellectual property.

We did the same thing here at AIMS, and honestly, it was a mistake. We found a great picture on Google, linked it back to the original source and posted away; all the while thinking it would be fine because we provided a photo credit.

Several months and countless blog posts later we were hit with a fat fine and a notice to take the photo down.

Ignorance is no excuse and it is a lesson we have learned well. We were not operating within the Fair Use guidelines for images.

What is Fair Use? It is a provision in US copyright law that allows the use of a copyrighted material on a limited basis for a specific purpose without the permission of the copyright holder.

So, now you may be asking, is my use fair? To answer that question you should be using the four factor test:

1. What is the purpose of use?

Nonprofit, educational, scholarly or research tend to be the most acceptable forms of use.

2. What is the nature or type of work?

Content should be published and fact based.

3. Hoe much have you used?

Use only what is necessary – less is better.

4. What is the market effect?

If it is not possible to gain permission to use the photo, or it will not effect the market value of the photo it may be acceptable to use.

Our advice? DO NOT USE GOOGLE TO PULL IMAGES FOR YOUR WEBSITE.

We started using royalty-free images exclusively, and it has been worth the investment. If you want to avoid costly penalties or lawsuits, it would be in your best interest financially to do the same.

 

Source – Using Images: Copyright & Fair Use

 

 

 

Is it OK to take Images from Google?

Speaking from experience: No, it is not OK to take images from Google and post them to your own blog or website.

Copyright infringement on the internet is a real thing and it can cost you big bucks; trust us, we know, and so do thousands of other bloggers. Ask Kari DePhillips of The Content Factory or Roni Loren over at BlogHer. Both were hit with copyright infringement penalties in excess of $8,000 for posting a copyrighted photo to their personal or their client’s blog without permission.

You read that right, $8,000 just for using a photo.

The problem is, where copyrights are concerned, a photo is never just a photo; it is another person’s intellectual property.

We did the same thing here at AIMS, and honestly, it was a mistake. We found a great picture on Google, linked it back to the original source and posted away; all the while thinking it would be fine because we provided a photo credit.

Several months and countless blog posts later we were hit with a fat fine and a notice to take the photo down.

Ignorance is no excuse and it is a lesson we have learned well. We were not operating within the Fair Use guidelines for images.

What is Fair Use? It is a provision in US copyright law that allows the use of a copyrighted material on a limited basis for a specific purpose without the permission of the copyright holder.

So, now you may be asking, is my use fair? To answer that question you should be using the four factor test:

1. What is the purpose of use?

Nonprofit, educational, scholarly or research tend to be the most acceptable forms of use.

2. What is the nature or type of work?

Content should be published and fact based.

3. Hoe much have you used?

Use only what is necessary – less is better.

4. What is the market effect?

If it is not possible to gain permission to use the photo, or it will not effect the market value of the photo it may be acceptable to use.

Our advice? DO NOT USE GOOGLE TO PULL IMAGES FOR YOUR WEBSITE.

We started using royalty-free images exclusively, and it has been worth the investment. If you want to avoid costly penalties or lawsuits, it would be in your best interest financially to do the same.

Source – Using Images: Copyright & Fair Use