Writing & Creativity

It’s so tempting to rip images from web and post them up on your blog or website without regard to who owns the image rights.

You could easily find yourself on the wrong end of the law and facing a substantial bill for damages.

The original article has a link to the “fair use” rules which may cover you, but it’s best not to take any chances.

Thanks to my writer friend Sean for digging this one up.

Writers – Don’t Make This Expensive Copyright Mistake

Bloggers want their posts to stand out, the more eye catching a published post, the more likely it is to get read and spread.

The right image can go a long way to help good content look great, but writers must be careful where they are pulling their images from. Whether using stock photos or images with a creative commons license, it’s important to make certain all your I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed, or else risk steep fines like WebCopyPlus recently experienced.

Webcopyplus web writing services firm confirmed it recently paid approximately $4,000 US to settle an image copyright infringement claim, and warns web designers, developers, business owners and other marketers they may also be exposed to such claims, with statutory damages of up to $150,000 per image.

“Like many other creative types in the web industry, our copywriters were not clear on image copyright laws, and we were taught an expensive lesson,” said Rick Sloboda, Senior Web Copywriter at Webcopyplus, which provides designers and businesses optimized web content.

“We’re sharing our story, so others can learn from our experience and avoid the same mistake.”
In May, 2010, with the assumption Web images without copyright notices were “public domain” and free to use, a Webcopyplus copywriter used Google images to find an unmarked 400 x 300 pixel scenic photo to complement an article for a tourism client’s blog.

In December, 2010, the client received a formal cease and desist demand and copyright infringement claim letter, demanding the following actions:

1. Immediately cease and desist all unlicensed uses of the image, and delete all copies from computers and digital storage devices.

2. Remit almost $4,000 to the lawyer’s trust account.

Read the full story here.

{ 2 comments }