Is it legal to use free wallpaper images in website comps?
Question by Jane: Is it legal to use free wallpaper images in website comps?
I work for a small web design agency, and just wanted to know if it’s legal to use wallpaper images in my design compositions. We can’t buy stock images until AFTER the design is approved (stupid, I know), so how else can I use large images in my designs?
Best answer:
Answer by ShaKri
If the website you are taking the wallpapers from has declared it royalty free and open to public, then you are fine.
Else – we have some legal issues. 🙂 Usually no one cares …but its not right legally.
Cheers,
SK
Add your own answer in the comments!
Dear Designer,
I would be very cautious about using other graphics on the web. Just because the website you got the wallpaper at didn’t claim it theirs doesn’t mean that they didn’t get it from somewhere else. This is a direct issue concerning copyright infringement and could land you in hot water with a law suit.
Copyrights laws generally say that technically you’ve changed the design or product and tried to make it your own design. This is what I would suggest, read this.
Can I Use Someone Else’s Work? Can Someone Else Use Mine?
• How do I get permission to use somebody else’s work?
• How can I find out who owns a copyright?
• I found someone infringing a copyrighted work that I registered. Can the Copyright Office help me stop this?
• How can I obtain copies of someone else’s work and/or registration certificate?
• How much of someone else’s work can I use without getting permission?
• How much do I have to change in order to claim copyright in someone else’s work?
• Somebody infringed my copyright. What can I do?
• Could I be sued for using somebody else’s work? How about quotes or samples?
• Do you have a list of songs or movies in the public domain?
• I saw an image on the Library of Congress website that I would like to use. Do I need to…
• Is it legal to download works from peer-to-peer networks and if not, what is the penalty…
• Can a school show a movie without obtaining permission from the copyright owner?
• My local copying store will not make reproductions of old family photographs. What can I do?
To answer these questions click on link http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html#change
I hope this answers your question.