Yugioh Card Maker Forum

(10-31-2008 11:23 AM)selizabeth Wrote: [ -> ]Hi, I just came here from deviantART and am very shocked to find the site listed as a resource site for images. The majority of images on deviantART are copyrighted to the artists who upload them, and it is not a free image site. Neither is google or photobucket. I, and the artists at deviantART, would very much appreciate deviantART being taken off the list of sites to get images from, and perhaps a stricter rule of requiring members to list where they got their images would help prevent copyright infringement.

Thank you

(11-04-2008 08:37 AM)eldris Wrote: [ -> ]You quite clearly do not understand international copyright laws. Unless you are using the images for something that falls under the fair use policy (USA only) (eg education, the press), which you are not, it is illegal to re-post images copyrighted to someone else without their explicit permission, which to be legally binding should be in some written form. Crediting them is not enough, although it is a step towards making the artist hate you less when they find out.

All images and all other media forms are copyrighted the instant they come into existance in a tangible form (ie visible on the computer screen rather than just in the artist's head still)

Images and videos are protected by the same copyright laws. Do you think Warner Bros wouldn't sue someone for displaying their films just because they credited Warner Bros where they posted the film? No, they would prosecutre the person and have the video removed. Same goes for images. If you display them without permission the artist has the right to sue you for compensation and to have the image forcably removed.

Just because you find the image online does not mean it is in the public domain. Unless the image has some text under it saying "no rights reverved, do what you like with it" or is released under a creative commons licence (and be careful to read what the licence allowes) then you cannot re-distribute or alter the image without permission.

Now to the issue of you listing deviantart as a resource. About 90% of images on deviantart, the artist reserves all rights, ie they are the only person with the right to display, print, sell, etc, the image. There *is* a resources gallery on deviantart where people provide stock images or other various resources. HOWEVER! These again have most rights kept by the creator, and most dA stockers say their images can only be used for art that will be uploaded only to deviantart and you have to get permission for prints, non-deviantart use, etc. They also usually require the images to be manipulated beyond just crop/re-coloring and to be told when it has been used.

So I would really reccommend you remove deviantart from your resource list. Google also as that is a search engine and images it finds are usually not in the public domain, it depends on the site they came from.


Might I reccommend you put www.sxc.hu on the list? Again, you must follow the stockers terms and conditions on the images, but people who post there tend to have very relaxed licences, for example the royalty free licence allows:

* In digital format on websites, multimedia presentations, broadcast film and video, cell phones.
* In printed promotional materials, magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, flyers, CD/DVD covers, etc.
* Along with your corporate identity on business cards, letterhead, etc.
* To decorate your home, your office or any public place.

The licence the stockers on sxc.hu have chosen can be found on the column to the right of the images.