hi, please someone help. I own a hand customising bling business. This evening I posted a photo of some shoes in a group on Facebook... Just to see what people thought. I can make them the same and someone asked for my link so I posted it underneath. I've been contacted by someone saying they are taking legal action and to make sure I have legal aid as I have used their photo! I didn't know it was their photo otherwise I wouldn't have used it. Where do I stand I'm panicking? The number keeps calling and texting me!
Although you are in the UK, copyright laws are similar to US copyright laws in the following regard:
If you use a photograph taken by someone other than yourself, you are not the owner of the rights in the photograph. Without permission of the holder of the rights in that photo (usually the photographer) to publish the photograph, you have infringed on these rights. You can, potentially, be sued for copyright infringement.
If it is a single photo and it has since been removed from its place online, you could probably work out an agreement with the photographer/copyright holder to pay a small fee as compensation for your use. You would want to verify first, though, that the copyrights in the photograph are actually held by the individual demanding compensation.
Using Proserpina's link can perhaps lead you to additional information specific to the UK.
Good luck.
