ò Copyright - Digital Graphics

[color blue]Copyright Regarding Digital Graphics[/color]
Copyright laws regarding Digital Graphics are quite simple to understand and are very straight forward.

[color red]IF YOU DIDN'T MAKE THE IMAGE FROM START TO FINISH THEN YOU ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO GET PERMISSION FROM THE CREATOR/AUTHOR BEFORE YOU CAN USE IT.[/color]

If such permission is not authorized and you still use someone's graphic then you are breaking the law and will be stealing their work, and they can take action against you.

Copyright is:
- The legal right granted to an author, composer, playwright, publisher, or distributor to exclusive publication, production, sale, or distribution of a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work.(dictionary.com)

All Digital Graphics are copyrighted when they are made. Just the act of making a graphic entitles you to copyright protection. The ¬ sign isn't nessessary on graphics and isn't needed to ensure copyright protection, however it is a good idea to include it on your pictures somewhere, or add what is known as a watermark.

Do you have to register an image? NO! But it would be a good idea to, because then you can prove the creation date in court easily. For a "Poor Man's Copyright" simply print the image out put it into an envelope and mail it to yourself via registered mail, then when you receive it [color red]DON'T OPEN IT[/color], simply write down what is in it on the envelope and put it away for safe keeping. The only time the envelope should be opened is in front of a judge, as proof of ownership and creation date and it will become evidence in your case.

Breaking Copyright is very easy to do, and it happens alot on the internet. If you use someone elses graphic on your site or link to their graphic from your site, you will need permission to do that. The act of downloading an image onto your hard drive or even printing an image is considered breaking copyright too.

Now the internet is huge and no-one has actually ever seen the whole internet, so the chances of you being caught using someone elses graphics is slim, but some major corporations have "spiders" that constantly check the internet for common file names and then flag that site for review of copyright infringements. But usually word of mouth is what catches people. Not all businesses have "spiders" to constanly search the internet. But just because the chances of you getting caught are slim doesn't give you the right to rip off someone's work and call it your own. The safest way to go about things is to just ask the creator/author for permission to use their work. If they refuse then you can't use it, and chances are they will check up on you to make sure you aren't stealing their work every once and a while.

Now there is one slightly confusing topic about copyright and digital graphics. If you are looking at a website that has high intensity graphics and you think, "how did they do that", chances are alot of websites will offer tutorials on how they made something. This is where you have to be extremely careful. Just because someone has given you the method of creating something doesn't give you the right to copy it exactly to the "T" and then call it your own. You will have still reproduced their graphic and will be breaking copyright. As long as your image doesn't look exactly like someone elses then you should be fine. There is nothing stopping you from using common graphic techniques to create an image. If there was, then only one person in the whole world would be allowed to own a graphics editiing program.

And what about link buttons. Well I believe that the rule regarding link buttons give partial rights to anyone to use them as long as there are ONLY being used to link to someones site. You can't just take a link button and add your own name to it to make your own link button, however you may freely use that button on your site to link to that person's site without having to get permission from the owner. However it is common curtesy to at least let that person know that you are doing this, and perhaps they will put your link button on their site, and then you both profit.

What happens if you notice someone has stolen your work, first make sure that it is your work and then write the webmaster a strong (yet polite) email requesting the immediate removal of the graphic, otherwise you will take action against them. Usually people will remove the image because they know that they have stolen your work. You basically give them a warning then if they don't obey, then you can take legal action.

[color red]ALWAYS GET PERMISSION TO USE SOMEONE ELSES GRAPHICS!!![/color]

[color red]I AM NOT A LAWYER. THIS INFORMATION IS TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, IF IN ANY DOUBT, SEEK PROFESSIONAL LEGAL ADVICE. I CAN NOT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WRITING THIS. YOUR ACTIONS ARE YOURS AND YOURS ALONE![/color]


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