[JiRaffe]

this may sound like a retarded question, but what are the do's and don'ts regarding putting pictures from films and stuff on to a website. is it ok to put any old image on as long as you credit the makers of the film or do you have to ask for specific permission?

[Mr Fred]

if its older than 200 years your ok

thats going to be tricky with films stills

[JiRaffe]

that could be a problem (does it seriously have to be 200 years old?), i could always do artists impressions of the film stills. digitised FlipFlipFlyin style pics.

[JiRaffe]

FlipFLOPFlyin

not FlipFlipFlyin

[Brown]

i thought it was 50 years. still, kinda cuts out most of the good stuff, and the stuff with sound. and colour.

[Mr Fred]

With many priceless catalogues on the brink of falling into the public domain -- for example, animated features of Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh and the music of George Gershwin -- copyright owners such as Disney and Time-Warner petitioned for 20 more years of copyright protection. The result was enactment of the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act, which extends the time period during which copyrighted works are protected. Extending copyright protection harmonizes our laws with European countries where copyright owners already enjoy longer protection. In summary:

* For works created on or after January 1, 1978, the copyright term is life of the author plus 70 years (instead of life plus 50 years).

* For works for hire (and works published anonymously and pseudonomously), protection is extended from 75 to 95 years.

* For unpublished works and works in their renewal terms, protection is extended for an additional 20 years.

* No expired copyrights will enter the public domain until 2019.

[Brown]

just have to keep on being orignal eh.

[cough, cough, splutter, never stole nothin in my life honest guv]

[JiRaffe]

if all you say is correct then i think i'm screwed with regard to putting photos from movies on my website legitimately. apart from felix the cat, which apparently is public domain, dunno why. could i not just bypass all this legal mumbo-jumbo by accrediting the image to Warners or whichever faceless conglomerate created the film? or do i still need to ask them for permission?

cheers for the info tho, i'll try and remember some of it for obscure pub quiz questions

[dorian]

( hey! that's Guybrush! now I know your age )

[Brown]

put a link to warner. as long as its not defamatory (sp?) then all they'll do is tell you to take it down. do you think they're gonna be looking anyway? that's the way that i think of it. they've got more pressing things to get the arsehole about.

[JiRaffe]

too true. i highly doubt they're gonna look at our site. you never know though. cheers for the advice, and yes it is guybrush