Copyright

The following stems from (but is not directed at) a previous conversation on this forum. The earlier conversation isn't really a copyright question so much as it was a disagreement between two individuals, but the views expressed when copyright was actually called into question were absolutely appalling.

As a content creator and holder of multiple copyrights for multiple types of work, I feel the need to remind everyone at TOTJO that:

1. You do not own the rights to anything you did not create.
2. That includes usage rights. You can't just use something because you enjoy it. Usage rights must be acquired from the copyright holder or you are in violation of their copyright.
3. That also includes display rights. Displaying a piece of artwork (visual, musical, or written) without crediting the artist is blatantly and flagrantly in defiance of the spirit of copyright, which ensures that credit and royalties from that work make their way to the artist.
4. "Found it on the Internet" is never an excuse for copyright infringement. Ever. Someone, somewhere made it. The Internet isn't some kind of artistic Skynet, just belching out memes and weird videos. If you found it on the Internet, you can damn well use the Internet to find out who created it.
5. Copyright is not a f***ing joke. You are actively screwing with peoples' income and legacy. I literally make all my income right now from royalties off one of my works while I'm trying to finish five more, and if people started posting pieces of that online and devaluing the collection I'm selling that contains it, that literally impacts my ability to eat food on a regular basis. Not only that, when it's done without credit, nobody knows where to buy the rest of that collection if they like it, so I lose even more money.

Copyright infringement is totally not a joke. Don't f*** with artists. We get a little angry.

To further Steamboat's point, which I completely agree with, there is a way to find content via online searches that you are allowed to legally reuse.

When you use Google, there is a button in the navigation menu that reads "Search Tools". Click it, and it will open a menu that contains a selection called "Usage Rights". If you select "Labeled For Reuse", you can be confident that you have permission to use it for whatever you wish. If it does not appear in this resorted search, you should assume that someone owns it and it is not okay to use it with out "expressed written consent".

That being said, I realize that 99% of the world ignores this option and "right-click saves" or screen shots whatever they please. This is a violation of copyright, regardless of how convenient it may be to do.

You should also know that using Google Images, an owner of an image can search where else that image appears online. If they find it on a page you are responsible for, they can ask you to remove it, file a cease & desist order, and/or potentially sue you for using it.

How does this effect reposting a meme on facebook?

As an artist myself I personally don't care if people reuse my stuff so long as they don't claim it as their own....give credit where credit is due...

RyuJin wrote: As an artist myself I personally don't care if people reuse my stuff so long as they don't claim it as their own....give credit where credit is due...

Personally, I'm a fan of just releasing my art and music into the public domain myself (though I do need to get around to fixing the license on my soundcloud profile to public domain). With culture locked up by law for possibly hundreds of years the way it is currently, we end up with a society where our own culture is dictated to us rather than us dictating our culture. It's the reason we weren't allowed to have any real discussion on popular music in my music appreciation classes - even though they were all gazillionaires (or dead) at that point, the works of Elvis Presley and The Beatles were not in the curriculum. Even my professor wasn't pleased with that.

RyuJin wrote: As an artist myself I personally don't care if people reuse my stuff so long as they don't claim it as their own....give credit where credit is due...

Depends on what I'm making and why. A piece of artwork for people to enjoy? Sure, just give me credit and let me know where you're using it. That's why I have a DeviantArt page. Something I'm trying to make money off of? Well that's a bit different. Something I made for myself to represent my own identity? Nope, mine.

I don't think the majority of people understand what goes into the creative. I wonder if people who thieve these things understand they're stealing a part of someone's soul.

edit
i dont entirely agree with this

respectfully, you guys didnt invent the internet

youre allowed to get into it and youre allowed to use it to promote yourself and i agree that you should be

but you have no more say over what it IS than anyone else

there are many and many different artists out there

the sad reality is that corporate influence wins out over free expression pretty much always

i do belive that people should be allowed to make a living off of their art, IF it is good enough that people are happy to pay for it

and i support developing a structure to allow that to happen

but as far as many people are concerned "some kind of artistic skynet just belching out memes and weird videos" is EXACTLY what the internet is AND WHAT IT SHOULD BE

i want to be clear on my postition - again, i do support the artistic control and marketability

but only up to a point

in your case steamboat i dont know what your exact situation is - but use and display are areas that i would basically disagree with you on

if an artist is credited and the use is not commercial then thats all that matters as far as im concerned - even crediting the artist in some cases i think is not necessarily mandatory in a non commercial setting so long as no one is pretending to be the original creator

id be willing to concede to that limitation though, but to me thats about it - i dont think its acceptable to use someone elses work for monetary gain, and taking credit for something you didnt do is punishable by exposure to herpes, but if you post a clever limerick in a public online setting it belongs to the internets from then on

Kamizu wrote:

RyuJin wrote: As an artist myself I personally don't care if people reuse my stuff so long as they don't claim it as their own....give credit where credit is due...

Depends on what I'm making and why. A piece of artwork for people to enjoy? Sure, just give me credit and let me know where you're using it. That's why I have a DeviantArt page. Something I'm trying to make money off of? Well that's a bit different. Something I made for myself to represent my own identity? Nope, mine.

I don't think the majority of people understand what goes into the creative. I wonder if people who thieve these things understand they're stealing a part of someone's soul.

I do have to admit I would be quite upset if someone used my sigil...

CryojenX wrote:

Kamizu wrote:

RyuJin wrote: As an artist myself I personally don't care if people reuse my stuff so long as they don't claim it as their own....give credit where credit is due...

Depends on what I'm making and why. A piece of artwork for people to enjoy? Sure, just give me credit and let me know where you're using it. That's why I have a DeviantArt page. Something I'm trying to make money off of? Well that's a bit different. Something I made for myself to represent my own identity? Nope, mine.

I don't think the majority of people understand what goes into the creative. I wonder if people who thieve these things understand they're stealing a part of someone's soul.

I do have to admit I would be quite upset if someone used my sigil...

and i can understand that too - the question to me is "where is the line between private ownership and public domain?"

i dont want to seem as if i dont respect artists rights

but imo copyrights is an area that can get out of hand

im not really sure where exactlythe balance point should be but im not nearly as strict in my expectations as many others

RyuJin wrote: As an artist myself I personally don't care if people reuse my stuff so long as they don't claim it as their own....give credit where credit is due...

And, since it's your art, you get to determine the license under which others are allowed to use it. You can copyright it, release it under creative commons or some kind of copyleft scheme, or you can release it into the public domain.

But if it's not your art, you don't get to make any of those decisions, as you're not even legally allowed to display it without permission from the license the creator or licenseholder has given. In fact, even if you're not making any money off it, it's still illegal.