Can I Use These Pictures Without Getting Sued?

by lovboa Banned
3 replies
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I wanted to make a website that is a photo gallery type website.

We've all seen those websites...example: Awesome Cars
And the website would be a bunch of pictures of awesome cars.

My question is: Can I just use any pictures on my website if I put a disclaimer that I don't own the pictures and any use of them by visitors would need to check copyright details with the actual owners of the photos?

This may seem like an obvious OF COURSE NOT!

But the reason I ask, is that there seems to be a lot of wallpaper sharing websites that do exactly this. They have 100's of wallpapers for people to look at and download, and they have a disclaimer that says they don't own the pictures.

Thanks for the advice in advance. I really want to make this clear before I go forward because I don't want a dozen lawsuits flying my way.
#pictures #sued
  • Profile picture of the author PatrickLSO
    They probably won't sue you, they will just ask you to take it down.

    I mean its not like the images would be making you millions of dollars, if so, then they might.

    It's not legal to do what you are doing though.
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  • Profile picture of the author digitaltwist
    Sounds like you already know the answer to your question.

    From what I understand, using a photograph, illustration, or other graphic for commercial purposes without permission of the rights holder is a violation of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 and exposes you to the risk of financial penalties.

    You would be taking a risk by "playing dumb" and hoping the owners of the images don't find/care or just give you a warning. Granted, the more attention your site is the bigger the risk.

    If you are making money off the site you're probably better off trying to find a photo site with a monthly or flat fee to download photos. This will save you time hunting for photos and also give you some peace of mind.

    If you don't have a commercial site then you can probably find some royalty free or Creative Common photos by doing a google search.

    Best of Luck
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  • Profile picture of the author lovboa
    Banned
    So are all of those photo gallery type websites not legal?
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