Last week’s post Hey Irony wrangled a bit with the wild west of the Internet, knowledge v. information, and the often confusing environment of intellectual property. After a cascade of inner conflicts, I’ve decided to take a new approach to imagery used on Esse Diem.
Copy Copy Copy....Right
I try to use my own photographs when I can, but have often fallen back on Google images to represent some of the themes in various posts. I have struggled with finding some great pictures that in my heart of hearts I know must “belong” to someone, but when I find them they are so long-lost to their original source and uncredited I can’t credit them either. Frankly, I’ve just gotten tempted by the easy access to things that don’t belong to me.
I think some people call that stealing.
I rationalized some images because I thought surely they would be credited if anyone cared; but after reading the article that inspired Hey Irony, I’ve realized that is far from the case. There are no rules governing most of the Internet and therefore most blogging, yet even when there are no rules there are ethics in play. It’s true on the Internet and it’s true everywhere. Ethics are harder because there is no one to give you a black and white answer, so often we shrug and say, “Well, I didn’t know the rules.”
What I do know is that I revere the concept of intellectual property. The image of Jeff Bridges, for example, came from the International Movie Data Base and clearly is an artistic treatment of a photograph taken by a professional. It is beautiful, creative, unique….and it belongs to someone who should get credit for it. If I can’t find that person I need to find another solution.
This week, the solution at Esse Diem is original drawings by my husband Jamie. Among other things, he is an artist who draws and sketches daily, writes poetry, and regularly creates delicious meals for friends and family. His drawings are spontaneous, clever, and whimsical. I am honored to have his visual interpretations of the post themes this week.
Esse Diem 
I’ve been thinking about this exact thing lately.
It’s hard not too, isn’t it? Thanks for commenting and connecting. It helps just to know that other bloggers think it’s a tough issue too. Finding the “right” image is such a big help to a solid post.
This is interesting . . . I usually fight off that little voice in my brain when using a picture I’ve found via Google, justifying my use of the photo by the rationalization that, “If you put a picture online, you’re opening it up for free use.” I’ve put a few of my own photos into my blog and other places and accept that this will happen. I have some good friends who are amazing photographers that operate out of this rule, too. It’s the nature of the beast these days. Yet after all of that, like I said, I still have to fight off a voice. Incidentally, when someone clearly stamps a photograph as THEIRS (usually via a watermark), I won’t touch it.
http://bradenbost.wordpress.com
Thanks for sharing that thought process. I have been confused by why some images cannot be saved and are clearly protected, while others seem available or even that the “owner” would appreciated the promotion of its use. I totally agree on the watermark. Hands off!
All of the art that I post on my blog is my own, but when I’m writing general pieces about life, I’m guilty of using images from the internet. It’s so easy to rationalize one’s actions by telling themselves that everybody else does it … so why not? But, of course, that doesn’t make it right.
Kelly, maybe the answer is for us to look at “everyone else” and that might take care of it . Who wants to be like that? 🙂
Nice Post! It is quite true that there are no strict laws referring to blog copy-writing and plagiarism.
Thank you! I love the freedom of the Internet, and the “no gatekeepers” energy of blogging. Still…..still……the little voice keeps peeping up. I appreciate your comment.
I couldn’t agree more with your sentiments.
Brendan, c’mon over to Esse Diem any time. (Thank you for your supportive comment, it does help to know that even if I am an unsalvagable nerd there are others who will wave the banner with me.)
I use an art service for the photos in my posts. I don’t credit the photos to the service. Maybe I should.
Crystal
http://www.crystalspins.com
That is new twist! Heavens, I don’t know……
I feel like Im talking to myself when I read your post. Its exactly whats been going through my mind lately. Kudos for writing about something relevant!
ZK, that is one of the most complimentary things anyone could say. Many thanks to you for saying it.
there are ethics, yes. but when duly credited, it is alright to borrow right… one’s ides is one’s own, but in the greater, larger sense of the world, one’s is as good as another’s…
Agreed that crediting is the place to start, for sure.
Amazing way of looking at it. This gave me an idea for something…..keep writing.
“Keep writing” — what every writer needs to hear. I will reflect on your comment in periods of demotivation. 🙂 Thank you!
Thanks for this post – we photographers appreciate it 🙂 I truly don’t understand why more photographers don’t use a watermark – it’s simple, and if done right, it’s difficult to remove. Personally, I’m fine with a blog borrowing my work (if it’s credited) as long as no one is making money off of it. Making a profit changes the whole game.
Grats on Freshly Pressed!
I have some good friends who are professional photographers. I totally hear you. AND I am about to change the masthead of this blog soon to an image from a family picture…….I will have to deal with whatever anyone else decides they have a right too. Not cool.
I wanted to come back to this and say a special thank you for the props of Freshly Pressed. It has really been a thrill, and I am so grateful for the opp to connect with likeminded bloggers on this issue. Much appreciated!
Some of us are new to blogging and not super tech savvy. I am just impressed that I figured out how to get my photos out of the camera, into the computer, and onto my blog. I am not even sure my photo program has the option of being able to put a watermark on my photos before I download them to the web. I know that there are free photo editing programs out there too, but in our case, the computer is 0.0 .1 generations too old to be compatible. Since I don’t plan on dropping a load of cash to upgrade any time real soon, I’ll just have to throw my photos out there on my blog and hope that if somebody wants one of my images they ask to use it. I’d probably be hugely flattered and agree.
As for susha’s comment that one’s is as good as another’s idea. Have you seen the crap they are hawking on the info-mercials? There have been some other pretty bad ideas in history that I don’t want any part of either. Some of the most recent ones might involve mass genocide, building levees with concrete toppers on unstable soil (Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans), and deep water oil drilling with no back up plan. I really don’t want my name associated with those, but that just might be me.
Thanks for such a thought provoking post!
That’s a new angle, too…..we may be making ourselves look bad when we intend the opposite with these images. Good point!
I sometimes use the online photo archives of the Library of Congress. It’ll tell you if a picture is under copyright or whether it’s safe to use.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures
http://toddpack.com
Great idea! Thank you!
I too use photos I have found on the internet, but for each photo I want to use, I check. I’ll type in the details and if the picture pops up and someone claims it’s theirs I won’t use it. If there’s a signature on the pic or web address same thing, not using it. But you can never really tell when it’s someone’s prized photo. I have a policy if someone emails me saying it’s their photo I’ll take it down immediately should they not want it on my site. I think it sounds decent and fair seeing as they put it on the world wide web to begin with.
Anna, I am going to have to face the music myself soon, right? It feels different when it’s your own image “out there.”
I guess if you’re willing to have others use your image then go right ahead and put it out there. I would certainly add a website or signature at least a good portion of people won’t use it then.
Best of luck!!
This is really neat.
I’ve yet to give in to the Google images temptation, but I’ll sure admit that it’s there. I think it’s a mixture of not wanting to take someone else’s art, and wanting to be original.
I make sure to have my camera on me at all times and if I think I might blog about it, I try to get a good picture of it. Sometimes I use my friends pictures, but if they’re photographers I try to link to their work. Making sure you have good pictures for your blog can require even more forethought then knowing exactly what you’re going to write.
Funny thing, the reason I picked your blog to read of all of the ‘Freshly Pressed’ was because the picture caught my interest. Nice work. 🙂
Using your husbands drawings is a great idea! I’ll be sure to check them out.
Ruthmary, that will mean the world to him. Thank you from the bottom of my heart…………
You may want to take a look at this resource http://creativecommons.org/.
I allow my images from my blog https://imagesmattfg.wordpress.com/ to be shared and used for non-commercial purposes but do not allow them to be manipulated (language at the bottom of my blog).
Matt, that is very generous. I will check out your blog for sure!
I’ve produced videos using my own stuff and images from the Flickr community.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Aging/123159131029916
It took as long to track down permissions as it did to produce the video. It was the right thing to do. But I’m developing a go-to group of photographers who I respect, like, and know I can get in touch with quickly if I need an image, or a referral.
I like this idea very much. I do have some photographer friends, and perhaps they would be willing to connect with the blog in this way. Could be a win-win as they say…….and yes. It was the right thing to do! 🙂
I just processed your Facebook page name….can hardly wait to check that out! Sounds fascinating!
I do post my own photos. But I talk about photography as well so I’d feel like a ninny for using someone else’s. I do sometimes post friends’ photos to which I give full credit. But I can see how hard it is to find an image to correlate with your topic – images help visual people understand what you’re writing. I usually capture the photo before I have my blogging theme in mind.
Brooke, I write about ethics fairly often, so trust me, I’m the ninny. You are spot on with the issue on corrlating image to post theme. The right image is wonderful, and the less that right image just ruins it. I like your concept of using the imagery first for inspiration. I’ll have to practice that. Thank you for your comment!
Why do people rationalize that it is ok to use a photo they have snagged off the internet for their blog when they would be miffed if someone used their words on their blog without credit? I hate watermarks and don’t use them because they ruin photos for me. If you are going to be creative in one area you need to be creative in another as well – take your own photos. It’s more about laziness and time constraints. If you want to do something well take the time to do it well. I have found my photos being prominently used on an Italian website without my authorization, though oddly with credit, and I have found photos and text totally lifted from my blog without credit. If they had asked for my consent I most likely would have said yes, but it does irk me that I wasn’t asked. Quite often if you are polite enough you get what you want with few problems.
http://www.williambosch.com
williamboschdotcom.wordpress.com
William, I completely agree. I would be beside myself to see text lifted without credit……….but here I am just posting it all for free, so maybe I’m a fool. I don’t know. Thanks for your blunt honesty. You are RIGHT.
Just because you are posting something for “free” doesn’t mean that it is free for the taking. I don’t think you are a fool, obviously you are a thinking person and are questioning the ethics behind it all, everyone should. It is all too convenient to be a “thief” on the internet when you can do it all in the privacy of your own domicile. Simple answer to it all, if it is not yours don’t use it.
i agree with that! take your own pics! it’s so much cooler than ‘borrowing’ someone else’s.
As a new blogger, I appreciate the food for thought. Currently on my two blogs, 95% of any pictures posted are ones I’ve taken myself (which leads to another question – should I be concerned about copyrighting? Should I have a copyright disclaimer on my blogs?). Some things to think about; so thank you.
Laura
http://vintageminx.wordpress.com
http://culinaryspirits.wordpress.com
Laura, great question, and I don’t know! I mentioned to someone else, the whole issue takes on new life when it’s YOUR material. Maybe scan some of the other comments, I thought some people who take their own photos professionally had some good concepts to share. Thank you for your transparency about your wonderings. I think we are all here to help each other figure it out!
I’m a little unsure on the subject of which photos are ok to use and which aren’t. I decided to put some football match reports on my blog but was worried about breaking any copyright regulations on photos (I know that the Premier League restricts the use of official club crests on blogs).
So I decided to draw my own pictures of the action in a sketchy/cartoonish style. It’s fun to do and looks much more original than photographs. Not a bad solution!
-catfishpond
http://helpimablog.wordpress.com/
Right on! Another artistic approach! 🙂 It’s totally unclear. Better safe than sorry, right? Good for you. (And thank you for visiting the post!)
I put a lot of my photos on Webshots. I use the code to insert them into my blog, but anyone can view them on Webshots. I get emails from them monthly that there are about 700 views and some downloads. Then I think…why do people download my photos. Why would they even want them. How do they even find them. There are probably millions of photos on there. But whatever, I put them up for people to see them, they must like what they see.
Amen! I can’t wait to check out your blog! Thanks for the great comment, you have a very open attitude towards the reality of life on the Web.
I think it is always better to credit the picture than not. Plus there are free stock photo sites that can give you some great pictures. I use this site for the pictures I do not take on my own. And I always give credit where credit is due. These people worked hard to make a great photo. The least I can do I tell the world who did it.
Copyright law is pretty clear, and it’s not limited to any particular medium or venue. If your work is going out to a large audience (as an unrestricted blog would), you’re violating copyright if you use images that you don’t give credit for. If you want more information on copyright and fair use, you might look here: http://copyright.columbia.edu/copyright/fair-use/fair-use-checklist/ There’s a checklist that’s helpful. Like the commenter above, I use creative commons when I can’t (or don’t want to) create images that enhance my text. They’ve got tons of great images. Good luck!
You are the first to say the words…..”the law is clear.” Very cool. Thank you!
Great post. I try to use all my own pictures when I can, but sometimes it’s hard to do. Like in my post today, I used a picture from Red Lobster and a picture from the Melting Pot. I guess I never really thought about saying where I got it from, although I should since I am a full time student and know about plagiarism and all that. I guess I will start citing my pictures when they are from someone else (when I can).
Thanks for the comment! I can’t wait to check out your blog, I love the name. 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Nice discussion of a topic that affects many, especially bloggers and photographers. With no camera and little drawing abilities, unfortunately, almost all of my images used in my posts are from the Net. I’d much rather use my own pictures yet till than I need to find out how to properly credit images. Thanks for the enlightenment. LB
I look forward to reading your blog! Thank you for the comment.
I am ever so guilty of photography stealing. What’s mine… is rarely mine.
Hey, they say confession is good for the soul! Step one to clean living, my friend. 🙂 Thanks for being part of this conversation. I think we are all helping each other figure it out.
I either use my own artwork, photos, or buy from http://istockphoto.com -however I really respect you for taking this stance, if you were an artist, I’m sure you would want to be compensated for your own work. Everyone deserves to get paid.
Again I’d rather be safe than be served with a legal notice from some lawyer.Information spreads so fast on the internet so I’d rather take the safe route. I’ve noticed that once someone copies and takes work from an artist, they’re forever branded as a copycat. The world is big but online it can be very small. So people think they won’t get caught but many times they do.
Honestly paying a small fee to istockphoto is worth it, plus a lot of them have cool photos and illustrations. I stay away from the cheesy corporate photos.
You are so right about that branding. I read recently a line that plagiarism is to journalists now what sex scandals are to politicians. A lot are doing it, no one wants to get caught, and when you do, you can never wash it off. Thank you for your comment, and for the caution!
I like this topic. My digital camera just broke down, and I was considering just using what I already uploaded to my computer. However, that leaves me in a predicament of limitation. Hmm…I suppose I will just dip into Google images when I have to and source when possible.
There are a lot of good ideas sprinkled through the comments on this post, too. Check them out, and good luck! Thanks for stopping by today. 🙂
I just read an interesting article about a company that is buying the copyrighted material from various newspapers/publications. Then the Co. scouts the internet (especially blogs) looking for unauthorized use of their copyrighted articles. They threaten to sue (recent laws allow for HUGE rewards) and settle for small amounts — one or two thousand dollars?
They said there is rampant copying of news articles by bloggers and they expect to make a killing. (So far, this company only has one or two newspapers signed up.)
Just remember to quote judiciously and give credit where credit is due. The “Fair Use” doctrine doesn’t mean “Cut and Paste” an entire article.
“Small amounts” — even a thousand bucks would take a bite out of me, and maybe worse would be the shame. Thanks for commenting on this angle, so far no one else has mentioned it. Someone else did mention that writers flip out when someone takes their words, so why are photos any different? I think it’s just not fully appreciating a talent that you don’t have or don’t understand. I am really enjoying these comments and the overall dialogue, as it is restoring my faith that people care.
This is such a grey area sub ject natter- I totally agree with you- if i KNOW that the image belongs to someone- I always, always, credit that person… you are very lucky to know someone who can provide you with great original images!
I am very fortunate to have him around on many fronts! Thank you.
I find this all rather fascinating by photo lifting without permission.
I am an Etsy Lover Blogger and post crafters/vintage photos on my blog. It’s a little different situation than the internet at large. I enjoy living a blog peaceful writing life, and having copyright and plagerism drilled into my head over the years, I get permission to post photos on my blog. Sometimes, I do not get an answer in time of a blog posting, particular if I am overly excited about a particular post and I will post the photo anyway, but I give them the opportunity to have me withdraw their photo. I also always provide a link back to their listing.
It is common courtesy, fairness, and respect of their property to request permission.
I love this comment……it’s like being gently admonished by a kindly grandmother! YES. Right on!
if you really don’t want anyone using your pictures make size them to look like shit if posted on a blog. It isn’t hard to do. I don’t copywrite protect my photos or my blog. Only my poetry. Which I never post on the internet. If someone stole my words from my blog, oh well.
“make them look like shit” — that made me laugh out loud. Thank you!
i can agree in many ways with this; however, if someone has not stamped their online photography then quite frankly it is there own fault and i believe that someone should be able to use that pic they found via google (or other) for their own use WITHIN REASON. when i say that, i mean not for monetary gain because THEN it would be immoral, unjust and just down right mean. but for me to spruce up my poetry blog for the simple enjoyments of others? i cannot consider that bad ESPECIALLY given the nature of the internet and how hard it is to track virtually everything!
congrats on the fresh press!
I know what you mean. For me it just got to the point that I felt like I couldn’t say for sure it wasn’t protected or credited at one time, but by the time I found it, it wasn’t. Looking foward to reading Life Love and Misery!
I don’t blog very much, but in the entries I have posted I found I could only use my own photos. It really didn’t feel right to put something else there – even when it would have helped for a visual. thanks for the post – very thought provoking.
Thank you for the comment! I’m with you, after a while it just feels…….yucky.
I started blogging recently and my friend warned me about using other people’s pictures as the place where she worked got sued for using someone’s pic. There is a site where you can get pics for commercial use (creativecommons.org) but I just decided to use my paint ‘skills’ to get around it.
Hooray! Very cool about your painting. Creative Commons is one of those things that, to me, is better in concept than in reality. I could rarely if ever find an image that was a perfect match for my words. Sometimes there would be a hit, but overall it was just frustrating. Here’s to original art, and thank you for your comment!
My English is poor.Maybe I know the mean you want to say.
To a photo ,I never think so much. I know a photo own its copyright,but I don’t think how is terrible if I use other’s photo .I see many people can give their valuable comments. haha…I’m coming learn something. Thank you sharing your real ideas.
Your English is just fine! Thank you for commenting. There are lots of good thoughts here, and a range of beliefs about the issue as well as potential solutions. I appreciate your candor.
Very interesting post !!
I’m an uruguayan guy ( South America ) living now at Spain, and always thinking in this toppic, my advertising background doesn’t allow me ‘steal’ or use any photograph without a credit…but….you and me are like an ET, people believe in internet and in it’s “all inclusive” elements ( texts, photographs, videos….etc ).
I doesn’t use any photograph without the autor’s autorization or without crediting its origins, its a doble effort, making my own pictures ( always I’m making photos, without purpouse….thinking in any future uses of its… ).
Your interpretation-illustration “copy,copy,copy…..right “ is extremely creative, a very interesting post.
Thank you so much! I’ll gladly join you in E.T. status. 🙂
this post and all the resulting comments strengthened my soul for today. credit should be given unfailingly, or we’re all guilty of corruption. good work!
and hey, congratulations on making freshly pressed! 🙂
Munira, thank you for that wonderful comment! I feel the same way you do. The community that has rallied around the thoughts in this post has truly made me feel better about humanity too. I’m thrilled to be featured on Freshly Pressed, and I am so glad that it was this particular post.
Interestingly enough I often take the opposite approach to writing. I’ll take the picture first, and then write to that. If I can’t find a picture for something I’ve just written, I create one. I think oftentimes it is more about trying to gain an understanding of “where” that image came from, learning about it’s origins rather than simply attributing a faceless name to it…
(that’s not to say that photographer’s shouldn’t get credit where it is due)
One other person metioned this approach, as a word person I find it fascinating, starting with the picture or image first…….I love learning new ways of approaching ideas from people whose minds work differently from mine. Thank you!
It’s getting easier – have you heard of or have tried TinEye.com? It’s growing, but I have a lot of success finding proper credits to images using it’s search engine. That’s the site’s goal, actually, to connect images on the web with their creator. Just copy your image URL or if you don’t have that, the webpage on which the image is located, paste it into their search engine, and for a good part, they’ll trace it back to the creator. There’s feeds, too, that will allow you notification if and when they later find a source which can not be found ‘today’ – Again, it’s growing, so they haven’t crawled the length of the web, but it has a huge amount there already. Yesterday, I went looking for something and found that it belonged to a Mom & Pop diner’s website in Japan…so it’s getting in the nooks and crannys.
Excuse my informality, but that is freaking COOL!! No, had not heard of it, ever……..sounds like a great resource! Thank you.
Great topic. I’ve been a bit worried about this too as I write my own blog. Those Google images are so very easy and tempting but is often very hard to track down the person to give credit to! You have inspired me to try to use my own pictures as much as possible and perhaps search Flickr and get permission to use an image that just fits. Happy blogging to you and you have helped to shed an ethical light on a very common conundrum!
Happy blogging to you as well! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you find in short order that your original stuff is actually better than anyone elses. 🙂
I’m so happy this post got featured, it was great to read. I’ve only been blogging for 3 days and I’ve already had the guilt of using uncredited images for my blogs. Thanks so much, maybe I’ll make a change.
That is very kind of you to say….I am excited for you that you have started blogging! There is much to learn, every day. I look forward to reading your blog. One of the nicest rewards from being featured on Freshly Press turns out to be learning about some really interesting people who are writing too, and I need to just carve out some time to check out about 50 new blogs to follow!
I loved your original pic on this entry and it’s caption. It’s what draw me to your post on freshly pressed! This could be the start of something great.
Thank you! That is truly encouraging and MUCH appreciated. I will make sure my husband knows what you said about his drawing, and I look foward to reading your poetry and other writing on your blog soon. 🙂
wow it’s nice to have morals, but really, I think a lot of this is misplaced. I’m a bit of an artist myself, and I see it quite differently. If it’s out there for the taking- I say take it. These days, as any I other I would think- it’s the artist’s responsibility to protect their work. If there is no watermark protecting a digital document or expressed wish to be credited appealing to your code of ethics- then it’s public domain. My work deals with this kind of stuff all the time, urban art. Call it found art. Call it theivery. Call it graffitti please, call it whatever you want. If you can take it, and make something of it- you’ve made another work of art from it- so take it. There is no art that isn’t inspired by something, somewhere, before you have created it. What you’ve stolen in your mind can’t be documented can it? If you heard a song that inspired a thought that inspired you to write something that in turn made you create a great work of art- I mean really, you gonna credit all thsoe sources? Should Picasso credit his inspirations? Should Picasso credit every bottle of absinthe? C’mon. In a way that’s more relevant than feeling guilty over a google image. F that sh*t. If it’s left out in the open- TAKE IT. The artist maybe wants you to take it- Maybe taking it is part of the art! Ask Banksy.
Bottom line- you have better things to think about than a misplaced sense of guilt for picking up and making use of what someone else left out unguarded and uncared for.
Be an artist. Be a writer. Be a theif. Liberate the art.
Now THAT is an original comment! 🙂 What a hoot. Thanks for lightening the mood. Seriously and for real, I think a main reason this is such a hot topic is that the environment for art — the Internet — is still such a new frontier. Some go old school, some like you are more open to renegotiating the rules/etiquette/concept. Your comment reminds me of what John Chambers of Cisco Systems said once about this new environment. “The gatekeepers are going to lose.” What that looks like exactly in a way that retains respect for intellectual property is what I suppose we are all trying to figure out. Thank you for frankness and for sharing your angle. Very brave in this long list of other opinions. I’m impressed.
So if someone parks their car in their driveway at home and doesn’t lock the car you think it is ok to go into that car and take what ever is inside? Maybe even take the car? Theft is theft. Your rationality does not stand up. You are not “renegotiating” anything, it is still something quite old, theft. No one should be “impressed.” Sure, in the greater scheme of things this, Google images, is a trivial subject but, it also comes down to a foundation idea/concept, not taking what isn’t yours.
I totally agree with wbosch, notesfromrumbleycottage, sixthirtythree and many other comments posted above.
I have a friend who went to Chicago for Oprah’s interview of the Twilight stars. She shot video outside the studio and posted it on youtube. Another blogger, huge in the Twilight world with lots of traffic daily, used my friend’s video but did not credit the source. What makes no sense, is this same blogger credits others’ photos, videos, articles, etc. When my friend confronted the blogger in the comments section, said blogger erased her comment, then blocked my friend from her facebook page. Credit has never been given. This is just one of many stories from those who want to get traffic and be “known” by stealing others’ work…whether it’s photos, video or text.
This is black and white: if it’s not yours, either don’t use it or credit it. It’s easy to do depending on how you found it. You can copy the link to the photo so when someone clicks on it, it goes to the source. You can also credit the source as the caption of the photo.
As for finding photos when you don’t have your own, go to http://www.sxc.hu/home for stock photos that people have uploaded for the purpose of sharing. There are thousands upon thousands of free photos and some with a nominal fee.
Your post is a hot topic in the blogging world and it all comes down to etiquette. We have a serious lack of it in so many facets of life and the internet is the worst. I, too, grew up having learned to NEVER plagiarise and ALWAYS credit the source. There are a lot of people who find cheating and plagiarising totally acceptable. And because they can remain anonymous, for the most part, they get away with it. It’s wrong and always will be, regardless of what society allows.
Wow, that is a disturbing story about the video. I like to think there is some shared etiquette and respect in general, but probably, as you say, the ease of being anonymous does lead people to act in ways they might never do if they had to “own” their actions. You might be interested in this post, too. https://essediemblog.com/2010/08/04/i-didnt-do-anything-did-i/ It’s about the issues around this very thing. Thank you for taking the time to share that experience…….
I try not to use images in my blog because of this problem. The only images I’ve used are the ones that were saved on this lap top when I bought it when I go into ‘pictures’ and are some of the sample photos that they give you. It’s a slippery slope, for sure.
You are a wise person, me thinks. I look forward to checking out your blog! Thanks for the comment.
I have conflicting views on image appropriation. Ownership is important, but I have a more communal side that regrets the fact that human nature tends to make people scream “That’s mine!” when it really doesn’t make a damn. I wish No Harm No Foul were the law and images could be used by others at times w/o worries, but that isn’t the case anymore. Anyway, my attitude is that if I want to borrow or simply share imagery I just do the polite thing and ask. That keeps everybody happy.
I started blogging recently and these issues have come to mind and bothered me several times… I endeavour to credit my sources; even my friends who are not necessarily professional photographers get credit for their photographs when I use them. I appreciate the power of visual elements and would go any length to ensure that my graphics/images go along with the text. In fact, I plan to get my own (Nikon) camera before the end of the year so I could take as many concept shots as I would love to… have also found information in most of the previous comments on this page very useful! Thanks for the post ‘The EDG’.
http://gbengaawomodu.wordpress.com
Thank you for commenting! I agree, there are many solid ideas here in the many comments. Lots of solutions that take away any excuses, right? 🙂 I look forward to persusing your blog.
I can’t believe how many responses you have gotten to this. The whole notion of intellectual property has gotten ridiculous. I’m not talking about taking credit or profiting from someone else’s work but the whole notion that all these images you see can actually be protected. How many pictures are taken of the Mona Lisa? Does someone have intellectual property over that image? Or Michaelangelo’s ‘David’? (Its a sculpture.) If I take a picture of some up and coming actor before anyone else, does that give me some kind of intellectual property? Artists take, borrow, steal what they need. If not then you can board up the museums because almost all art is derivative. No more T.S. Eliot. No Bob Dylan.
David, half of the comments are my responses to people like you who took the time to visit the post and comment, so it might not be as many as you think. But yes, it did resonate. Some of the comments were quite impassioned. You might be encouraged to scroll just a few up from yours to a fellow going by danieldamianm.
More than anything, my impression is that this is about the environment of the Internet and how it impacts art. For various reasons ideas and images are getting separated from the source. (That is not going to happen to the Mona Lisa.)
Anyway……derivative. I can’t believe that is the first occurence of that word in these comments! Thank you for contributing to the conversation.
Many people have commented on your post, so it looks like you’ve written on a hot topic. I share your concerns about using other people’s images that you’ve found on the Web. And just because you can’t find a credit to the photographer/illustrator, doesn’t mean that the image is freely available for use. In my spare time, I take photographs and sketch illustrations — and I’d rather them not be used on someone else’s site without a credit to me. And, as a blogger, I respect the authorship of others by crediting them — and asking permission first.
If you don’t have a solid image to use in a blog post, what about using Flickr? It’s an amazing resource with tons of photos. I did a post to celebrate Earth Day and included about 10 photos that I found on Flickr. These were photos from around the world — places I’ll surely never see in my lifetime. Beautiful, stunning stuff. I sent an email to the photographers, and all of them gave me permission — and I added credits. Doing this also allowed the photographers to see their photos being shared and used.
Thanks for your post — it’s good to know that intellectual property is on people’s minds!
You said a lot in a few words……..knowing that people are even churning it around is a good thing. Thanks for the ideas, and thank you too for the thought on permission to repost other people’s written work. You made me realize I just assume that is welcome as long as it is credited, and maybe it’s not. Something else to churn! Thank you for commenting on the post, and I look forward to checking out your blog!
Cory Doctorow: Proprietary Interest
http://www.locusmag.com/Perspectives/2010/09/cory-doctorow-proprietary-interest/
An interesting article on another facet of copyright and its possible effects.
I found this book a fascinating read on the historical perspective of copyright also
Inherent Vice
By Lucas Hilderbrand
Duke University Press, 352 pp.
First of all a salute to you on highlighting such a thing. Its really a great article.
I am not a pro photographer but I love photography. I alway put some watermarks in my pics. I recommend all my friends to do that because in this age of technology if you are not gonna say “what’s mine is not yours” mostly people are not gonna say “what’s yours is yours”.
But Still its nice to see that thr are people who care about othrs stuff.
Nice work..Keep writing.
http://irfan989.wordpress.com/
Thanks for your comment and for your support! You have an interesting blog. (What does the title quote mean?) Good tips there about managing issues in technology and social media……….
Thanks for having a look at thr.
Title quote is a verse from one of the greatest poet of urdu (Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi (1916-2006)).
My English isn’t very good in this case but still did my best to translate this verse in English, so sorry for any mistake.
Zindagii shammaa kii maanind jalaataa hoon ‘Nadeem’
Bujh to jaaoon gaa magar subah tau kar jaaoon gaa
(English translation)
I have lit my life like a candle,
The flame would disappear but will burn till the morning
Pingback: The Best of the Blog 2010: What Lit Fires and Stirred the Pot | Esse Diem