Bloggers beware!

[vtsaogames]

Earlier this July I started having trouble posting internet images to my Blogger blog. Messages saying I had to have permission to post them popped up. I couldn't even post public domain images. I did find that photos from my camera could be posted, uploaded from my PC.

I just found out what the problem is. My wife has been having a dialogue with tech support at her art website. It seems a group of lawyers has automated a search of websites looking for images used without permission and been suing people. Don’t know if AI is being used. I guess later today I’ll go through my previous posts and yank any images that I didn’t create.

 

Looks like they are fencing in the open range.

[Doug ex-em4]

How about if you did a screen shot of such an 9mage and the posted that?

Doug

[Daeothar]

If they use image recognition software, cropping, copying or gamma adjustments won't work.

More curbing and limiting creativity in the name of profit. Think what this will do to meme-culture if they are succesful...

[Duncan McDane]

They do the same on youtube content and on Facebook. Better only post pictures of your own stuff ( or ask permisson in advance ) , and if necessary earmarked with some kind of logo.

[tikitang]

Oh thanks for the warning!

[boneio]

A lot of this will depend on the software you're using and the jurisdiction it falls under for the purposes of law.

To put it another way, if you host your own blog rather than using a centralised hub like Blogger (or whatever it is the OP had issues with), you will never have a problem and can safely ignore any contact fishing for royalties etc. Even if you used someone else's copyrighted image it would cost them far more to sue than they'd stand to gain in damages, and that presupposes they could prove any damage!

Fair use is a thing... your blog isn't commercial... a centralised provider might be commercial due to how they employ adverts... hence them 'having' to comply.

That's why such copyright-scans exist (in a very flawed manner, note) on YouTube et al - they need to ensure their advertisers keep paying them.

[vtsaogames]

Well I use Blogger and just spent most of the afternoon taking down images from posts going back to 2017. My AARS are fine, all photos of my own. I removed some maps from them. My historical posts took a beating - no more portraits of the generals or stirring battle scenes.

[tikitang]

As I only have two posts on my blog it wasn't hard to remove the two 'not my own' images from them, but all the same I'm grateful for the heads-up!

[robh]

Getty Image are notorious for this heavy handed type of coercion, they who claim "ownership" of a huge chunk of the public domain images and art and slap copyright watermarks over it in an attempt to frighten small users/bloggers.

This is one of the most user friendly overviews of the "fair use" exemption:
https://journal.atp.art/fair-blogging-bloggers-copyrighted-images/

Well worth reading through if you use online images to populate non commercial blog posts (so not anything monetised through google or youtube or with inline ads). It also has a link to the relevant US case law on "fair use exemption"  US as that is where these predatory scumbag lawyers work from.

As a very basic rule of thumb if you don't receive any money or compensation (ie: free stuff) from the blog and use images to explain/instruct or make commentary of text referencing said image you are covered by "fair use". Purely using a copyright image to enhance or glamourise an article or as "click bait" without it being an integral part of the blog post is a no-no.

As example you can claim fair use of a copyright image of Erin Grey in her Wilma Deering outfit to illustrate a blog post dealing with suitable figures and rules for gaming Buck Rogers adventures. But you could not expect to get away with "fair use" if the same image was used to illustrate a post about rule amendments for Stargrave.

(I have been looking at this recently regarding illustrations I want to use in a rule set I will be publishing, so have some knowledge....but.....usual disclaimer applies I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one of TV so do your own homework)

[Kikuchiyo]

You tube content creators seem to get around this by flipping the image

But to be honest if it's not your work don't post it as if it is and you'll be fine

[vtsaogames]

I think folks who sue don't even have to claim they are damaged. A guy in my NYC neighborhood was going around checking small businesses to see if they were accessible to the handicapped. He wasn't handicapped, just litigious. He sued small businesses that weren't.

I'm also not a lawyer, so I might have it wrong.

[boneio]

I think folks who sue don't even have to claim they are damaged. A guy in my NYC neighborhood was going around checking small businesses to see if they were accessible to the handicapped. He wasn't handicapped, just litigious. He sued small businesses that weren't.

I'm also not a lawyer, so I might have it wrong.

Also not a lawyer but have some reasons to have a partial grasp on these things...that'll depend on jurisdiction and the underlying law that they're citing.
Disability access laws aren't the same as commercial suits for damages based on unauthorised use. I'm in the UK and the courts don't like frivolous suits which clearly don't remediate against a problem the suer has actually suffered.

Plus the act of actually going to court is very very expensive and very often a bluff. As individual bloggers you only need to worry if you are acting against the T&Cs of your provider and thus risk having your site turned off. You're not going to be worth the notice of any big player.

Someone mentioned Getty - yes they will often send out threats if they (sometimes wrongly) find that you're using an image without rights. But it will go away if you just replace that image, there's no way they'd bother taking it to court.

[vtsaogames]

Just made a major discovery: the problem I've been having is related to using the Duck Duck Go browser, which hides my searches from the internet. Google doesn't like that and they own Blogger. I've been unable to even upload my own photos to the blog.
I went on my blog using Chrome and my photos go up, as do images from Wikipedia Commons.

Caught in the crossfire, I was.

[Easy E]

Use Wikimedia commons which is connected to Wikipedia.  These are often photos provided and vetted by Wiki for use on articles.  I.e. if Wikipedia has it posted, you can post it too. 

However, check the sourcing directions and make sure to follow them or you may have a slight issue.