So I've noticed some people on here have used artwork that isn't theirs & have edited them as well as claimed it is their own work... I won't name any names and all, but it irritates me greatly. Most I have seen is works on character's profiles that have been given to them from friends or commission that have the person's user and such. However I have seen the originals on a site called DeviantArt, Photobucket, and so on. Seeing the originals I can clearly tell they have been edited or altered as well they had not been given the original artist(s) credit. Some artist do let others use their works, but only if credit is given.
My question is if we find such things on this site should we tell them they need to give the original artist credit & could they get in trouble if found that they are not creating their own original works?
My question is if we find such things on this site should we tell them they need to give the original artist credit & could they get in trouble if found that they are not creating their own original works?
What you should do is tell the original artist/owner. The artist can email their complaint to admin@rprepository.com to have the work pulled from the profile.
Ah okay. Thanks for letting me know.
This raised a question of my own. If the picture is obtained via goole pics (or the like), then is it sill necessary to say where you obtained it if you don't know who the artist is? I don't claim any of my pictures to be mine, but I haven't paid for any either, all are reference pictures I looked up.
Gamers wrote:
This raised a question of my own. If the picture is obtained via goole pics (or the like), then is it sill necessary to say where you obtained it if you don't know who the artist is? I don't claim any of my pictures to be mine, but I haven't paid for any either, all are reference pictures I looked up.
As a general rule of thumb, if you don't know who the artist is, then it's best not to use the image. If it's images from an Anime or a movie or something big like that, you technically also have to check if their copyright allows you to use their images, buuut big corporations usually don't bother with small fries like this.
In any case, just because it's on Google doesn't mean it's not artwork someone else paid for of their character. Saying "I got this from Google" or "Artist ____ drew this" is also not okay even if you know where it's from if you don't have permission from the artist to use it. If you found an image of mine on Google and you used it while crediting Google, that would still be stealing my art.
Some of my characters have art, but all of that art actually belongs to me as I commissioned it. Even so, should I mention that somewhere so people don't get the wrong idea?
@Gamers, I don't think you can use those pictures. I was linking to some things like that which left made it obvious as it where it came from, but even so Sanne and Kim told me that I shouldn't do that. I'll attempt to do find where that was.
Edit: Nvm, Sanne epic ninjaed me.
@Gamers, I don't think you can use those pictures. I was linking to some things like that which left made it obvious as it where it came from, but even so Sanne and Kim told me that I shouldn't do that. I'll attempt to do find where that was.
Edit: Nvm, Sanne epic ninjaed me.
Most people do not know what is right and wrong in the area of image use on the web, to say nothing of what is legal. For most people, there exists a wide expanse of grey area.
I think a lot of people think that providing a link to where they found something makes it okay to use. Another phrase that I often see with images found on Google (or wherever) is "I do not claim this art as my own."
This is the legal equivalent of robbing a bank but then writing on the bills "I do not claim this money as my own" when you spend them. It doesn't actually provide you (or us) any legal rights to use the money (or image, in this case).
That said, literally everyone on the internet does this. It is just so easy to link to an image, and so easy to think, who will care? Sanne is usually our most heated defender of artist's rights, and even she sort of shrugs when it comes to screenshots from animes or daft punk videos. Most people have some kind of internal bar for what they think is okay to re-post and what they think is theft, which results in a certain amount of disagreements. Most people's internal barometers are much softer on this issue than the actual laws on the subject, which are straight up draconian. I think the legal standards are actually pretty outdated and we're going to need a new set of rules to cope with all the new technology we have, but at the moment, we've got the laws that we've got and the site is on the hook for enforcing them.
Because the mods and I simply can't know the difference between something you drew yourself, something you commissioned, a photo you took, a photo you purchased, and something that is stolen given the thousands upon thousands of images uploaded to the site and billions upon billions of images available online, we usually don't police art on profiles without a specific complaint from the artist. It's just not possible to research every image and to double check whether the person got permission in one form or another. But as soon as we have that complaint or other evidence that an image is being used entirely against the wishes of the artist (or copyright holder), we're pretty aggressive in getting it taken down.
I think a lot of people think that providing a link to where they found something makes it okay to use. Another phrase that I often see with images found on Google (or wherever) is "I do not claim this art as my own."
This is the legal equivalent of robbing a bank but then writing on the bills "I do not claim this money as my own" when you spend them. It doesn't actually provide you (or us) any legal rights to use the money (or image, in this case).
That said, literally everyone on the internet does this. It is just so easy to link to an image, and so easy to think, who will care? Sanne is usually our most heated defender of artist's rights, and even she sort of shrugs when it comes to screenshots from animes or daft punk videos. Most people have some kind of internal bar for what they think is okay to re-post and what they think is theft, which results in a certain amount of disagreements. Most people's internal barometers are much softer on this issue than the actual laws on the subject, which are straight up draconian. I think the legal standards are actually pretty outdated and we're going to need a new set of rules to cope with all the new technology we have, but at the moment, we've got the laws that we've got and the site is on the hook for enforcing them.
Because the mods and I simply can't know the difference between something you drew yourself, something you commissioned, a photo you took, a photo you purchased, and something that is stolen given the thousands upon thousands of images uploaded to the site and billions upon billions of images available online, we usually don't police art on profiles without a specific complaint from the artist. It's just not possible to research every image and to double check whether the person got permission in one form or another. But as soon as we have that complaint or other evidence that an image is being used entirely against the wishes of the artist (or copyright holder), we're pretty aggressive in getting it taken down.
Like Sanne (edit: and Kim) mentioned, simply giving credit it not enough - the owner of the copyright (usually the artist) has to give you authorization in order for any use of their work, modified or not, to be legal. This also applies to tracings and other forms of copying it - it still counts as a reproduction of their work, and thus requires permission to be used legally. It can be as simple as asking their permission, though, and even an email saying "sure, you can use it" is usually enough to stand up even in court.
If you don't want to have to ask, you can look for images in the public domain (free for any use) and images for which permission is openly granted.
If something is old enough, copyright will no longer apply to it, and it's in the public domain. I think it's still in the 70-year range. The little twist to this is that, while a painting or piece of music may be in the public domain, individual photos of a painting belong to the photographer, and performances of a musical piece belong to the performers. So that can still be tricky.
As for open permission, some creators will state alongside their work that it can be used, usually with some form of restriction in place. One of the most common ways to do that is with certain forms of Creative Commons licences that allow for certain uses of works. There are other handy ones too, such as GNU Creative Licence, but I usually see those for programs and typefaces. Something to look for, in any case - and to read, to be sure it allows your intended use.
But it's usually best to just ask permission or commission someone.
It's useful to have had a graphic design teacher who previously was studying to be a copyright lawyer. ^^
EDIT: Something I would like to point out - for those with doubts in their artistic ability, but for some reason unable to commission things, there's HeroMachine. It takes patience and certainly has limitations, but it's better than scribbles. It's something that can be recommended to those using images they shouldn't be, at least.
If you don't want to have to ask, you can look for images in the public domain (free for any use) and images for which permission is openly granted.
If something is old enough, copyright will no longer apply to it, and it's in the public domain. I think it's still in the 70-year range. The little twist to this is that, while a painting or piece of music may be in the public domain, individual photos of a painting belong to the photographer, and performances of a musical piece belong to the performers. So that can still be tricky.
As for open permission, some creators will state alongside their work that it can be used, usually with some form of restriction in place. One of the most common ways to do that is with certain forms of Creative Commons licences that allow for certain uses of works. There are other handy ones too, such as GNU Creative Licence, but I usually see those for programs and typefaces. Something to look for, in any case - and to read, to be sure it allows your intended use.
But it's usually best to just ask permission or commission someone.
It's useful to have had a graphic design teacher who previously was studying to be a copyright lawyer. ^^
EDIT: Something I would like to point out - for those with doubts in their artistic ability, but for some reason unable to commission things, there's HeroMachine. It takes patience and certainly has limitations, but it's better than scribbles. It's something that can be recommended to those using images they shouldn't be, at least.
Oh gosh, I know what my new RPR project shall be >.< is there a limited time to fix the pictures? Any tips I could use to help easily legally find pictures? Or is it just assimilated as saying where from, asking permission, and saying who done it.
Gamers wrote:
Oh gosh, I know what my new RPR project shall be >.< is there a limited time to fix the pictures? Any tips I could use to help easily legally find pictures? Or is it just assimilated as saying where from, asking permission, and saying who done it.
Technically what is required is permission. That permission might be given with a stipulation such as "You may repost my picture only with credit and a link back to me," but it also might not. It is as simple as getting permission and complying by the terms of that permission.
I'm not sure I understand the question "is there a limited time to fix the pictures?" -- it is illegal the second they are posted, there isn't such a thing as a grace period during which it isn't.
I've actually been working on a news/help article about sources of legal images for profiles. Let me paste the draft for you!
Quote:
FREE & LEGAL:
Pro tip: When someone offers you free art, be grateful and thank them as enthusiastically as you know how, even if they got a detail or two wrong.
LEGAL BUT NOT FREE:
Sometimes, you have a vision in your head that is so detailed, so specific, so carefully fleshed out, that no free approximation will do. At that point, you might have to pay for the privilege of an artist's time and skill.
TOTALLY ILLEGAL
- Pictures you draw yourself - so long as they are not traced or so heavily copied from another image that they aren't really your own imagining.
- Photos you take yourself - Even if your character is a mystical creature that can't be properly modeled by a human, sometimes a picture of an object or environment can still be a very nice addition to a character profile in order to set the mood.
- Gift art - Sometimes, artistic friends will just give you art out of the blue. This happens most often when you go way out of your way to make the game fun and inspiring! But be careful not to nag your artistic friends, or expect things from them. It's a gift, not a right.
- Be a practice model - Artists periodically need to practice to hone their skill, especially those just breaking into the art market and not yet ready to take commissions. Check art forums for "practice" topics, and volunteer your character's when artists ask for concepts to practice with.
Pro tip: When someone offers you free art, be grateful and thank them as enthusiastically as you know how, even if they got a detail or two wrong.
- Doll makers - Remember paper dolls? Where you could swap dozens of styles of clothing, hair and sometimes even body parts like wings or horns onto a doll to create a custom concept? The web abounds with sites that allow you to do something very similar, only you have thousands of options to choose from. These are especially easy to find for female characters, although there are male versions as well. Check these out: Different doll makers will have different terms, so be sure to check that the one you choose allows you to post your doll on other sites. Most will allow this. Some will have special rules like asking you to provide a link back to where you made it.
- Face morphers - Free online programs like http://www.morphthing.com/ allow you to blend two real life faces together into a completely new, realistic face. So if you have celebrity inspirations for your character, you can blend them together to create an entirely new person!
LEGAL BUT NOT FREE:
Sometimes, you have a vision in your head that is so detailed, so specific, so carefully fleshed out, that no free approximation will do. At that point, you might have to pay for the privilege of an artist's time and skill.
- Commission an artist - There are many sites where you can find artists willing to offer up their services for pay. Different artists will have different rates. Those newer to the trade can sometimes be found willing to work for as low as $5 an image, whilst others with more experience can run hundreds of dollars. Usually, with a little work, you can find an artist in your price range or who is willing to trade for something you can offer. Looking for an artist? Try some of these places:
- Purchase the rights to a stock photo - Stock photos are often extremely high quality, and because they are not "custom," you can get a great rate by simply buying the rights to use the thing. Great for things like weapon or costume references, or animal characters, especially.
TOTALLY ILLEGAL
- Google image search - Just because something is on Google does not mean that it is legal for you to use! Look but don't re-post.
- In fact, art you see anywhere on the web that isn't labeled with specific permission for others to use it - It happens all the time. You're browsing the web, and suddenly you stumble across a piece of art that is absolutely perfect for one of your characters. It's so simple and easy to save and repost this kind of art that we often don't even stop to think before the deed is done, but it can get you into a lot of trouble later if the artist catches you.
If I could like posts, I'd like that draft, Kim. 
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