by mharm2k6 » Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:01 pm
Alright, I know this post was pretty much answered, but there is something I will say:
1. many photo printers like WalGreens or Wal-Mart may require you to sign a document saying that you are the legal owner of the photos [this is for liability reasons and it's illegal to lie]
2. as for peanuts post: just because it's on google images or some other search engine does not mean it's not copyrighted. Photographers own all rights to any photos they take unless they choose to make them free for use. On google images and pretty much any other search engine possible there are numerous copyrighted images. Unless you have written permission from the rights holder- use of many of these images is illegal. yes, even printing them for personal use can be illegal. If an image is from a piece of publicity or something the company/owner made public in a press release form (ie. movie poster/ad, commercial) usually they are OK to use. I personally use a pay service called WireImage ($75/mo) for any images I plan to print or use as I have a contract saying I have permission to do so and have no risk of penalty.
**IN THE END: I doubt you'll be hunted down by the government or sued, but just because an image doesn't have a watermark doesn't mean it's not protected by copyright. No matter what, it is illegal to print an image that you do not own or have specific permission from the owner to print < if someone was to host a site in which they own all of the images and somehow noted that the images may be used then you are alright.
Alright, I know this post was pretty much answered, but there is something I will say:
1. many photo printers like WalGreens or Wal-Mart may require you to sign a document saying that you are the legal owner of the photos [this is for liability reasons and it's illegal to lie]
2. as for peanuts post: just because it's on google images or some other search engine does not mean it's not copyrighted. Photographers own all rights to any photos they take unless they choose to make them free for use. On google images and pretty much any other search engine possible there are numerous copyrighted images. Unless you have written permission from the rights holder- use of many of these images is illegal. yes, even printing them for personal use can be illegal. If an image is from a piece of publicity or something the company/owner made public in a press release form (ie. movie poster/ad, commercial) usually they are OK to use. I personally use a pay service called WireImage ($75/mo) for any images I plan to print or use as I have a contract saying I have permission to do so and have no risk of penalty.
**IN THE END: I doubt you'll be hunted down by the government or sued, but just because an image doesn't have a watermark doesn't mean it's not protected by copyright. No matter what, it is illegal to print an image that you do not own or have specific permission from the owner to print < if someone was to host a site in which they own all of the images and somehow noted that the images may be used then you are alright.