Hi all

I downloaded an image off of google as most do and used it as my profile pic on twitter ( it was of a celebrity) and i was told you can only use photos that have no water mark but ive now been told i need to ask permission to use the photo?

I didn't know anything about this i thought everyone downloads and uses photos off google at some point?

Why put stuff on the internet if you dont want people to use it surely all would have water marks on?

Im confused by this and dont know what is and isnt allowed?

A bit of googling found this "You cannot download or use images from Google without seeking permission from the copyright holder, unless your use falls within one of the exceptions or the work is distributed under an open licence such as Creative Commons."

You need to do searches about copyright, and how to find images that are free to use.

Most photos that come up on a Google search are copyrighted. Which means they can't be used elsewhere without the owners permission except under certain conditions (Non-commercial research and private study. Criticism, review, quotation and reporting current events. Teaching. Parody, caricature and pastiche.) It doesn't matter if the pic is online the copyright still belongs to the photographer or the client who paid for it.

There are images that are copyright free or what is often called copyleft which means you can use it but must credit the owner of the pic. You would have to do a specific search for them of check the images before you use them. I normally use the creative commons image search when I need background for images.

How do you credit the owner for a free photo if its for a profile photo for twitter?

So many use photos of the same celeb and i wonder how many asked permission.

So would you still need to ask permission if it was an assignment for uni or college ect

if you are publishing it on the internet that is different from a college paper that will only be seen by the person marking it. 
Its not ok nicking other peoples photos for internet use without full permission of the owner. I know I have been very annoyed at having chicken photos stolen from an advert and reused by someone else to sell their chickens-and got them removed.

I believe there are libraries of copyright free photos about if you have a little hunt. These are free to use-although the library should still be credited

Thanks all for explaining this to me as I'd never been told about this before and found it confusing.

So to be clear if your using an image off google to use in an assignment for university that will only be seen by the lecturer than you dont need to ask for permission?

Also what about if i took a photo of a picture that i have on my wall is that allowed or would i need to contact the person who i brought the photo from even if i own the picture as its on my wall?

The picture on your wall is fine on your wall but not if you copy it for use online.  well not unless you took the picture yourself-or paid the person who made it for the copyright

OK i understand that what about taking a photo of an ornemant i own?

> So to be clear if your using an image off google to use in an assignment for university that will only be seen by the lecturer than you dont need to ask for permission?

You would be able to use it but must still credit the source of the image.

>OK i understand that what about taking a photo of an ornemant i own?

If you take the photograph you own the copyright and are free to use it anywhere (but mind you check the small print in the T&Cs of sites, because you might be transferring copyright to them! If you enter a photo for a competition you find that you're transferring all rights to the photo to the people running the competition, so if it's a cherished family photo you could in theory find yourself in trouble later).
Someone once used a photograph of me as their profile picture on FB; we could only get it taken down when the person who took the photo complained to FB for breach of her copyright, and then the person's account was removed.

Why use somebody else's image, period!  I'd be darned annoyed to find one of mine being used by somebody else.   Photos of my hounds have been used (without my permission) but only on various breed articles, which I don't mind so much about (quite flattering actually )

Using somebody else's photos etc. on the internet, without permission - bound to be dodgy and risking being sued I'd have thought.

I joined twitter to support a certain person and everyone in the community had his photo as there profile but a lot of them had never asked if they could.

I had not clie that this was wrong which is why im glad i asked and am aware of this now. And i have taken the photo down and left it blank.