02-22-2012, 10:02 AM
Copyright law is a total minefield, especially internationally, where different legislation and rules apply to different countries - For example in UK the copyright applies up to 70 years AFTER THE DEATH of the copyright holder, unless it has been assigned to his heirs or someone else - eg a magazine publisher!
Another example - you will find people posting pictures of trackplans , scanned from Model Railroader, on websites asking " would this be a good starter layout? How would I reduce it to N gauge?" What they don't realise is that not only are THEY breaking copyright - but so are THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE WEBSITE for not removing it (and therefore condoning and "publishing" it!) Copyright is one of the reasons there are so many very rich lawyers and law firms. Think about the trouble caused by YouPee claiming intellectual property rights over their name appearing on models The best way is to post a link if you possibly can - unless the item is actually YOURS - ie YOU took it or wrote it - WHEN IN DOUBT --DON'T!!!
As a Moderator on several groups - it is one of those things I take VERY carefully, and will remove posts if copyright applies - or if \I have reason to believe it does.
Every year I send an electronic "Christmas Card" to friends - always featuring a great photo I have found on a website. In EACH case I contact the originator, ask for permission to use it, and have NEVER had a refusal - I always add a copyright symbol, a year date, and the name of the photographer at the bottom as well
Another example - you will find people posting pictures of trackplans , scanned from Model Railroader, on websites asking " would this be a good starter layout? How would I reduce it to N gauge?" What they don't realise is that not only are THEY breaking copyright - but so are THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE WEBSITE for not removing it (and therefore condoning and "publishing" it!) Copyright is one of the reasons there are so many very rich lawyers and law firms. Think about the trouble caused by YouPee claiming intellectual property rights over their name appearing on models The best way is to post a link if you possibly can - unless the item is actually YOURS - ie YOU took it or wrote it - WHEN IN DOUBT --DON'T!!!
As a Moderator on several groups - it is one of those things I take VERY carefully, and will remove posts if copyright applies - or if \I have reason to believe it does.
Every year I send an electronic "Christmas Card" to friends - always featuring a great photo I have found on a website. In EACH case I contact the originator, ask for permission to use it, and have NEVER had a refusal - I always add a copyright symbol, a year date, and the name of the photographer at the bottom as well