Is there a legal way to steal images?

Bad idea there. Email the website owner and ask for permission. That still doesn't get you off the hook if they took it illegally from somewhere else.

Personally from time to time I use google, except I upload the photo to my server if it doesn't say copyright or anything like that, especially for simple pics like traffic, blogging pics, happy people, things like that - never had a problem with it, just don't use their actual picture URL .jpg and bandwidth

Hotlinking will get you in Hot water. Don`t do it.

OP, you don't have to do anything illegal. Just go to flickr and find pictures that the author allows to be placed on your site. Generally, all that is needed is that you provide a link back to flickr to give credit to the author. This is a good deal for the author because they get a backlink and its a good deal for you because you can get some great pictures for free. Here, is a link to where you can read more about what pictures you can get access to on flickr:

Flickr: Creative Commons

It's nothing if the website owner has unlimited bandwidth active on the server.

However saving it and uploading it to your server is good practice.

We all feel like we own the internet don't we?

It's like food, especially for warriors.

can't live without it

Wut?

That someone puts that image for the world to see in his website or anywhere that he allows, for it is his image.

Here, go check the definition of the verb "steal"
Steal - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

to take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use of wrongfully

My mind is blown as to how you don't see hotlinking as bandwidth theft. It's my image, in my server, and you are using it for your benefit while making use of my resources without permission, resources that are allocated for my sole benefit and which you are taking from me so as to not have to incur their expense.

Chris you the only one that is taking and making sense as everybody that say it is theft don't know what they talking about.

hotlinking is not theft as if you allow it then it is your problem. As for hotlinking pics is not wise as the person hosting it could use it to there advantage.

I have a site with a homeloan calculator on it. A webmaster is using for a big site and it does not bother me as I get lots of traffic coming my way

It took a while, but I finally get Chris's point. I'm not going to get into the "rightness or wrongness" of hotlinking. Let's try another analogy...

I set up a vending machine and stock it. But I set it up in such a way that people can push the button and get their candy bar without first putting money in the slot. Are people who push the button without paying really stealing, or are they using the machine the way I set it up? It's up to me as the owner of the machine to set it up in such a way that it performs as I desire.

The analogy isn't perfect, as the candy bar is a physical item which must be replaced at a cost. But the mechanism is the same.

@robingg14

You can also spot hotlinking activity in your webstats. Check your referrer stats for image files called by outside referrers.

@sunray

I like your idea. I think I'm going to change out the image with the 'stolen content' message for a banner ad...

Chris, I'll admit that I thought you were playing devil's advocate, stirring the pot, but it sounds like you're serious.

I see having a website as more like setting up a TV show, magazine or other 'product'. It's not a big 'help yourself' sign.

You're defining the act in a way that supports your argument. So am I.

By extension, you're saying that by broadcasting the Super Bowl over the public airwaves, anyone with the right knowledge was free to rebroadcast the signal in any way they choose? Regardless of the whole 'no rebroadcast or reproduction without the express written permission' deal?

If you really believe that anything with an image tag is fair game, set up a site and start hotlinking images from Disney. Start sending traffic to it. Let me know how that turns out.

Google "your domain" "jpeg"

Normally spikes in bandwitdh are also a hint, that's how I found out in my case.

If you suspect one image being hotlinked, google the full URL of the image.

Okay. I just skipped about half of the posts on this page, as arguments deteriorated...

It is against the TOS of any and all of MY websites to hotlink my images. Therefore, if you hotlink my images you are in violation of my TOS. That is a civil matter, not a criminal matter.

That doesn't mean I won't sue you, or file a DMCA, or otherwise take action to put a stop to it.

Google is not hotlinking, at least in the Google Images result pages. Look at the url of any of the images, on the results page. It is being served from a Google url.

Regardless of the legal standing, whether or not hotlinking in and of itself is illegal, most content owners consider it stealing if you display their work on your site without permission.

And it is a really stupid thing to do anyway. For one thing, it can seriously hurt your online reputation. For another, many of the content owners would be happy to accommodate you, (probably with you hosting a copy of the image yourself,) if you just ask. And finally, even if you can't get permission, in most cases a similar image can be obtained with permission through some other source.

In the case of product images, contact the manufacturer. Or if the item is available on Amazon, and you are an Amazon affiliate, you can use their official product images so long as you link back to the product page.

There will undoubtedly come a time where the law catches up to technology, and at that time, hotlinking without express permission may become illegal. In the meantime, err on the side of courtesy, and do not hotlink images without obtaining permission first.