This will always be an issue for everyone because not everyone agrees, but it should be common sense to not take credit for something they did NOT take a picture of, or drew, or create, or write or edited. I get incredibly pissed when I see people say that whatever is on the internet – google, is free gain for everyone.
Just because it's on the net, doesn't make it right to take something that doesn't belong to you and claim it as yours. Or worst you take it from the original source and erase the watermark or erase the credit so that people will just assume it came from you since you didn't say otherwise (or bother correcting them). Or even taking a picture and not bothering to see if where you got it is the original source, but you still link it to it even when it's not.
I know I like to post pictures of celebrities and I sometimes edit them. There are times that I can't find the source of who took the original pictures (especially when it comes to celebrities since there's thousands of the same photos everywhere and none of them have a source – and yes I tried looking for it) but I don't claim it as my own. The only thing that I claim is that I edited it but otherwise I don't claim that I'm the one who took the photograph or is the model or the celebrity or whatnot.
However, that's different because it should be obvious that photos of celebrities, musicians or in general – famous people, weren't taken by majority of people who have photos of them in their blogs. The only exception is that they were at a concert or a movie screening or something and they took a picture of them in person.
It's also ridiculous to see people post artwork/photos that's not theirs without the artists' permission or worst, not credit it, especially when it's not that difficult to do a quick search for it, such as in deviantart where majority of the artwork I've seen is from, and then copy and paste the link onto the source box. If you really want to post something but don't know the source, even when you searched for it, then just make sure that you don't claim it as yours and to let others know that if they know where it's from to let you know.
It's no wonder why many are force to put watermarks on their original works because people think they can do what they want just because it's the “internet” or it was in “google images”. It's a shame really because watermarks get in the way of the work and the artists don't want to put it on a corner or in an area that's doesn't obscure. Why? Because people STILL take it by cropping the watermark out or some other method in hiding or removing the mark.
All in all, please make sure you give credit to something that's not yours. That you link it to the original source and/or asked the creator or whatnot for their permission to post it in the first place. And please, make sure it's to the right person too and not because you saw it on their blog/account and assume it was theirs.
 DamnBlackHeart · Thu May 26, 2011 @ 05:34am · 0 Comments |
