So the other day I stumbled upon an article about the highly anticipated movie, The Hangover 2, which I just couldn’t resist reading. Apparently, the tattoo artist who designed and tattooed Mike Tyson’s face back in 2003 is attempting to sue Warner Bros. over the copyright infringement of his famous work. The tattoo not only appears on one of the characters face for the majority of the movie but since it is on the movie posters, ads, and other marketing material, this tattoo artist is looking to take Warner Bros. for all that they’re worth. The tattoo artist claims that he owns the copyright to the tattoo and was never contacted for permission or credited for using it in the film.  This goes to show you just how careful you have to be when using someone else’s design, photo, or artwork and why you need to know basic copyright laws and regulations so you don’t find yourself behind bars. As a blogger, you need to know the copyright laws, where to find pictures to use, and how to properly give credit where credit is due.

So basically copyright laws were created to help protect original designed works including photos, drawings, graphics and other images displayed on the web. However, many people aren’t aware or truly understand the copyright laws on the Internet and often images are used illegally. Here’s what you should know about the copyright laws.

 

Basic Copyright Law

-A copyright becomes valid when the original work is created and used in some form of display like posting an image on your blog.

– Copyrights give the original creator the right to present, sell, replicate, or change their work, as they deem acceptable.

-When you have a copy written item, only you have rights to the work, no one else has permission to use the image without the creators approval.

Fair Use Laws

-Basic copyright laws allow the useage of another person’s work to use for items such as reviews, education, and biography.

-Quotes and references referring to content are usually accepted for fair use For images, using a thumbnail image taken from other sites is acceptable, but not the full image.

How To Put Photos on Your Blog

-First find choose a photo on Flickr.

-Upload the photo.

-Make the Title and match the name the photographer that owns the image.

-Create a caption and give the photographer’s screen name credit, ie “Photo credited by _____.” Or make sure your blog post has a credit line for each picture.

-Add the Flickr photo page as the Link URL, so when you click the photo it redirects you to the photographers original page.

-Then Save and double check to make sure the caption is shown correctly and the link works.

If you have any questions or uncertainties, always check out the copyright laws just to make sure you are always in the clear!