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Legality of Using and Editing Product Images

by ation
11 replies
Can someone shed some light on this for me?

Are product images copyright or can I freely edit them and use them without restriction?

Say, for example, an iPad or a Kindle.. where would I go if seeking free-usage pictures of this type?
#editing #images #legality #product
  • Profile picture of the author tj
    Originally Posted by ation View Post

    Can someone shed some light on this for me?

    Are product images copyright or can I freely edit them and use them without restriction?

    Say, for example, an iPad or a Kindle.. where would I go if seeking free-usage pictures of this type?
    Images of products are usually copyrighted and their design can be also trademark protected.

    Timo
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  • Profile picture of the author Phil Miller
    I've been told that as long as you change the photo in some way it is legal but I have no idea if that is really true.
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  • Profile picture of the author terrapurus
    What you are thinking about is a term called creative commons. How much you can edit the photo and use it on yoru site will depend on the level of copyright the owner places on it. Flickr has a good explanation of the creative commons levels.
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  • Profile picture of the author ation
    So how would you find something like a Kindle image to put on your site?
    There isn't any listings for it on any of the stock photo websites or anything like that.
    And yet thousands of people put images of the Kindle up on their personal site without issue.

    I don't understand it.. It's preventing me from moving forward in my work until I figure it out.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
      Originally Posted by ation View Post

      So how would you find something like a Kindle image to put on your site?
      There isn't any listings for it on any of the stock photo websites or anything like that.
      And yet thousands of people put images of the Kindle up on their personal site without issue.

      I don't understand it.. It's preventing me from moving forward in my work until I figure it out.
      Take a picture of your Kindle, or find someone with a Kindle and take a picture of it.

      Same with any other product.

      ~Bill
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      If you go into the amazon affiliates area you will likely find kindle images you can use. Have you tried that? It's likely that's where the images you see are coming from.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kelly Verge
    WAY back in the day, I sold a lot on eBay. Mostly I bought low and resold higher.

    One category of products that was somewhat of a staple was sale items from Harbor Freight. I'd just use the pictures from their website to resell their products.

    It wasn't long until I got a cease and desist.

    I picked up a pretty inexpensive pop-up softbox with lights (much like this one - not an affiliate link) in order to take my own product photos. The result ended up that my pictures were better than theirs and the quality of all of my auctions increased - as did the selling prices.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Phil Miller View Post

      I've been told that as long as you change the photo in some way it is legal but I have no idea if that is really true.
      If that person told me to order a ham sandwich, I'd think seriously about ordering soup...

      What your source described is called "creating a derivative work", and is just as much a copyright violation as just copying it.

      If you can't find a stock photo to use, check the manufacturer's media section if they have one. Many manufacturers have photos you can use in writing about their products.

      Or, as Kay mentioned for the kindle, see if there are images available to affiliate program members. Far as I know, that's the only way you'll get a legal shot of a Kindle short of taking the pic yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author ation
    So something like this for the barnes and noble Nook

    Media Kit NOOK, eBook Reader, eBook Device - Barnes*&*Noble

    Are all free game?

    I can edit them, publish them on my site, etc?
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by ation View Post

      So something like this for the barnes and noble Nook

      Media Kit NOOK, eBook Reader, eBook Device - Barnes*&*Noble

      Are all free game?

      I can edit them, publish them on my site, etc?
      Not necessarily. If you are a B&N affiliate, check your affiliate rules and guidelines. If you are not an affiliate, check the terms of use and copyright pages, and if you don't find the answer, contact the corporate office.

      If you have permission, either from a corporate rep or via published license, go for it. Otherwise, it's anything but fair game.
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