QUESTION
Can I use other pictures online on my own website?
Asked on Jan 23rd, 2012 on Patents - California
More details to this question:
I want to know if it legal to use a picture that I have copied from another site or have found on Google images on my own website. I have a clothing website and I get a lot of my pictures from other websites that have used there own model to take a picture of the clothes. After I copy the pictures I crop the picture so you can’t see the models head. I also don’t think these pictures don’t have copyright. Am I safe here or can those company sue me?
1 ANSWER
Intellectual Property Attorney serving Irvine, CA
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Shimokaji & Associates, P.C.
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My recommendation is that you not use the photos without permission from the copyright holder. Generally, just because you can find photos on the web, it does not mean the photos are free to use. Also, just because you crop away some of the photos, it does not mean you are free to use the cropped photos. Though it may be difficult or even impossible to find the copyright holder, if there is one, people get into trouble by using photos and then the copyright holder (who might be the owner of thousands of images) will search the web for unauthorized users and seek to extract payment.
Answered on Feb 17th, 2012 at 9:23 PM