Copyright Laws Surrounding Images and Graphics

[TechSpotJosh]

To make myself clear, I am not promoting copyright infringement, but rather informing & looking for clarification surrounding copyright laws of images and graphics.

I made a post earlier today that I believe was not written clearly enough to illustrate that I am looking for clarification surrounding copyright laws with regards to the use of images and graphics. I attempted to get information by creating these posts, but ultimately received nothing useful. I did seek out the information on my own, and so I am going to share with you the information that I found. I will be referencing this article: https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/that-little-a-quick-guide-to-copyright/

If you want you have any clarifications or corrections to the information I provided, please provide me with sources and I will gladly update the information on this original post.

• When is a graphic considered to be copyrighted?

When it comes to copyright laws and graphics, there is a lot of grey area surrounding copyrights and is typically judged on a case to case basis. Copyright does not expand to things like names, colors, typefaces, geometric designs and familiar symbols.

In my OP I discussed downloading an image of a rounded triangle with watermarks and adding a color overlay to the image and other effects to manipulate it.

Even though the author of the original image added a watermark to the shape it is not protected under copyright laws as it falls under the category of geometric designs and familiar symbols.

• Are logos protected by copyright?

Logos are not protected by copyright laws unless they are uniquely artistic and/or ornate. This goes back to the point made earlier with regards to copyright laws surrounding graphics having a lot of grey areas. How artistic / ornate a graphic is in my honest opinion is a very subjective view.

• Is modeling design after a photograph considered copyright infringement?

Yes, photographs are protected by copyright laws and cannot be freely copied. Translating an image into a different medium may still be considered copyright infringement (but isn't necessarily infringement.) The Barack Obama "HOPE" poster made by Shepard Fairy during the 2008 US election is a prime example of just how complicated copyright laws can get surrounding these issues.

So to answer my question I had earlier, taking an image an manipulating it may or may not be copyright infringement, according to this article.

• So manipulating an image so that it is not similar makes no longer protects it from copyright laws?

No, not necessarily. US law does not protect you from copyright claims if an image is substantially similar. If it is clear that one image is clearly based off of another, than it is probably copyright infringement.

• Final Thoughts

I hope this information I provided was somewhat helpful to you guys! I was hoping I wouldn't have to do all the work on my own to seek out this information. Also, I'm not saying that the information I provided is necessarily correct. If you feel anything I've said is incorrect please provide me with sources that contradict any statements that I have made in this post and I will gladly update the information provided. So what I've learned is watermarked images aren't necessarily protected by copyright law. Also, copyright law surrounding images and graphics are much more complicated than that of video copyright. Anyone who can provide additional information that may have been missed is welcome to provide sources and I will also update this post.

Thank you for your time! and happy YouTubeing.

 

[TechSpotJosh]

Something interesting I discovered while looking into the legality of removing watermarks from certain images to manipulate and change elements from the images to make them my own. Depending on the image, even if it is watermarked, does not mean it is protected by copyright laws.

Here is an example:

This is a take on a WHMIS symbol. Notice the watermarks. The company that is "selling" this image is well within their rights to add a watermark to prevent people from using their HD render of the image. However, because it is a familiar symbol is not protected by copyright laws. So if you wanted to use this image to get the shape and make your own version of the WHMIS symbol you would not be committing copyright infringement.

If you're curious about where I got the information surrounding this, it can all be found here:

https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/that-little-a-quick-guide-to-copyright/