My Funny Picture

Is this a copyright violation? Can I use random images/photos online for a book about funny pictures?

You know those funny photos you get emailed from your friends, usually people doing something odd or strange. Can I compile those in a book? I am assuming that there are some sort of copyright or license infringement. How do you find out where it originated? And how do websites get away publishing these photos?

Public Comments

1. Technically, if you didnt take the photos, or produce teh artwork, or purchase the piece, you would be in violation of copyright law. Many personal "free to view" webpages get away with displaying a lot of different things, mainly because it would be impossible to police all the personal sites, file injunctions, notify ISP's with proper credentials, etc... Putting them into a book, will get you noticed, and give the copyright holders something to shoot for in a lawsuit. I doubt any professional publisher would accept the works without a release for each photo.
2. A lot of web sites steal the pictures that are posted. And they don't get away with publishing them indefinately. Copyright owners are constantantly looking for illegally published photos. If you want to compile a bood of the photos, then you need to do leg work (or finger work, online) and research what the original source of each photo is. If the photo is in the public domain, then you are free to use it without royalty, but you still need to give attribution. If the photo is not in the public domain, then you need to contact the owner of the copyright and get their written permission to use the photo. Some copyright owners will charge you to use the photo, some won't, but if you're serious about putting your book together, then that's what you need to do.
3. Go to shutterbug.com and search for Privacy Rights & Copyrights. The article was in the May 2007 issue.
4. there will be copyright issues, best to get photographer's permission in writing.
5. With regards to US copyright law, without the permission of the original creator of the image you would be violating the law. However, I wouldn't give up there. Keep a scrapbook of these images. This theme would be good for a coffee table book of early 21st century nostalgia, it has a kitsch quality to it. The copyright will eventually expire on these images. As to how websites get away with illegally publishing copyright material, perhaps you should ask yourself how so many people get away with speeding on the freeway when it is illegal. The person who holds the copyright to the image can't be everywhere at once to uphold their copyright.
6. yes end of story if you want to make a book i am sure the copyrite owners will be happy to take tour profits & then some