Is reposting photos on social media or my own blog copyright infringement?

Asked 8/18/2014

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People share huge numbers of images online every day—memes, celebrity photos, wallpapers, and more—on sites like Facebook, X/Twitter, Pinterest, and similar platforms. Some pages even monetize that sharing, for example by charging to pin a post at the top of a page.

Does reposting images like this usually count as copyright infringement? Is it any different if I do it on my own website or blog that I host myself? In simple terms, when is sharing someone else’s photo allowed, and when do I need permission?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

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Yes, there is a breathtaking amount of copyright infringement going on on the internet.

The thing is: where it concerns images, most of it happens with the implicit approval of the copyright holders, who basically like to have their stuff shared and pinned and retweeted all over the internet (at least by consumers) because that gets them attention and ultimately money. They don't make it official by putting the stuff under a permissive license because they want to retain the ability to stop other companies from finding ways to get that attention money instead of them. But as long as the copyright holder tolerates it, infringement can happen without consequences.

The exception are images which are themselves products, such as professional photography and art. Copyright holders do very often seek out and sue infringement in such areas. But even there, allowing low-resolution and watermarked versions to be shared is common.

On the legal and organizational level, the key compromise are safe harbor rules which allow sites with user-generated content to operate without being sued for copyright infringement perpetrated by the users, as long as they follow procedures to remove such content promptly. And end users typically aren't sued because that's bad publicity.

What that means for your "blog/website that i host myself?": as long as it never gets very popular (which is the most likely outcome), it will probably remain unnoticed anyway. If it starts earning real money, you'll get legal problems sooner or later that will shut you down unless it got so big so quickly that the copyright holders figure that they can have you make money for them. And if it involves user-generated content, satisfying the requirements to be considered a safe harbor is probably not done easily and should be vetted by a specialist lawyer.

Originally by user25699. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user25699

11y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Usually, yes: reposting someone else’s photo without permission can be copyright infringement.

In general, the creator owns the copyright unless they’ve licensed the image for reuse, released it publicly under certain terms, or your use falls under a narrow exception such as fair use/fair dealing. Those exceptions vary by country and are limited.

A lot of image sharing online happens because copyright holders tolerate it, or because platform features are designed for sharing. But tolerated use is not the same as having legal permission. Rights holders can still object or request removal.

Photos that are themselves the product—such as professional photography or artwork—are especially likely to be protected and enforced.

Using images on your own blog or website does not give you extra rights. If anything, running your own site means you are more clearly responsible for what you publish. Monetizing the page can also make your position weaker.

Layman’s rule: if you didn’t create it, don’t repost it unless you have permission, a clear license allowing reuse, or a solid legal exception. When in doubt, link to the original instead of re-uploading.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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