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Website Image T-Shirt Prints - Unknown Image Orgins

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nickyb713

Junior Member
I have a website that displays random images from a database of several thousand images. The images are funny random images that people have added captions to or edited in photoshop.

I believe these images are public domain and were created for anyone to see and enjoy, but I'm not sure if this applies to the internet.

Anyways, I have seen the images on my site appear on several different websites in the past.

My question is, would it be legal to offer any of these images to be printed on a t-shirt? The sale would not be made through my website, but another service that does t-shirt printing. But they do pull the image off my website to print on the shirt, and I would be receiving about a 40% commission.

These images are widely re-used and distributed over the internet, and there's no clear indication who the original owner or publisher is for any of the images.

This seems like a pretty big grey area to me, so I was just wondering if this is something I can legally do.

The site is hosted and operated out of the U.S. by the way.
 


asiny

Senior Member
I have a website that displays random images from a database of several thousand images.
What database?
I believe these images are public domain and were created for anyone to see and enjoy, but I'm not sure if this applies to the internet.
What you believe is irrelevant unless based on fact.
My question is, would it be legal to offer any of these images to be printed on a t-shirt?
No.
These images are widely re-used and distributed over the internet, and there's no clear indication who the original owner or publisher is for any of the images.
How are you acquiring the images from the database?
Have you actually done work to discover the copyright owners of each of the works you are looking to t-shirt print?
Is finding this information your area of expertise?
This seems like a pretty big grey area to me, so I was just wondering if this is something I can legally do.
When in doubt- that could lead to court, legal fees and, if applicable, copyright theft and damages- don't.
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
Found on the internet does not equate to public domain. The fact that their being copied around doesn't mean you won't be sued if you exploit them.
 

quincy

Senior Member
nickyb713 posted this same question in the Copyright section of the forum and I answered it there, not knowing it was a duplicate thread. Sorry.

At least my answers there and your answers here, asiny and FR, are the same. ;) :)

nickyb713, could you please pick one of your two threads for any additional questions you may have, and then lock the other one to prevent duplicate responses. Duplicate threads are double the work for the volunteers here. One thread is enough.

Thank you.
 

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