----- Forwarded message from Rev Simon Rumble simon@rumble.net -----
There are two views on the legality of linking remote images:
- That there are technical means to stop people linking the image, so
if that is the policy of the copyright holder, they can implement such means. 2) The unless there is explicit permission given for remote linking, it isn't allowed.
Personally I go with option 1 with the proviso that if a request is made by an image owner to stop linking to the image, that the link is removed.
I'd be interested in the legal viewpoint on option one - if a bicyle isn't locked, is it therefore OK to steal it? ;-) More practically, most of us web amateurs have the nous to get images on the web but not protect them from remote linking. I'd be really unhappy if my images therefore were seen as being free for general use. Indeed I have successfully persued one website who saw fit to steal wholesale whole chunks of text and images from one website. If I found my pictures in use on a website like OGL wihtout permission, I'd be sending a polite but firm email to someone...
To use an image in publishing you, you should have express permission from the copyright holder, whether personally or via some general statement. Option 2 is is the only way to go - it is the full responsibility of the person adding an image to not only ensure the image is used legally, but also, I suggest, include copyright information. Any image without that can therefore be removed.
As photographer myself, I've been thinking around this a bit - it would be really great to have a lot more images on OGL - a thousand words and all that, and to be honest it would make it look a lot more accessible. Ideally some central image storage would be great, but access to all would be a problem. Some kind of pre-registration to get ftp upload permission? A web interface that requires basic personal info to be added? I'm not any kind of programmer, so I can only suggest that to the clever people here...
To reiiterate - my 'vote' is for images only to be added if known to be copyright free, or with permission, and copyright information MUST be included with the image, visible on the page (not just in the 'alt' tag).
cheers
S.