Rules for Using Copyrighted Material

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Sally
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Rules for Using Copyrighted Material

Post by Sally » Thu May 24, 2012 8:44 pm

The Finch Forum would like to set out the following rules for using material from various sources on the internet:

1. No photos or other images may be used without written permission from the author/owner of the website/photo. Please try to ascertain that the photo you are using is not copyrighted before posting it on the forum. Photos that are determined to be copyrighted will be removed. Photos may not be cross-posted from another host (such as Flickr, Facebook, etc.) unless written permission is received from the original author/owner of that photo.

2. Text may be copied in reasonable amounts, i.e. a paragraph or two, as long as this text is placed in quotation marks and credit is given to the author/website. It is usually respectful to also link the website, where further information may be gained.

3. Entire pages or articles may not be copied to the Finch Forum. In those cases, i.e. an article on livefood for waxbills, a link should be provided, so that forum members can then go to that website and read that article or page for themselves.

4. If in doubt, it is always polite to check with the author/website. I have had authors of articles give me permission to use entire articles in the proper context, as long as I gave them credit. This has usually been for publication in a bird club newsletter, etc.

As many have pointed out, it is better to quote and credit shorter pieces of information, especially in the case of someone looking for health answers, where time may be of the essence. We hope this has cleared up the subject to everyone's satisfaction.
Last edited by Sally on Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:27 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Clarify the rules covering photos posted on other hosts.

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Sally
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Re: Rules for Using Copyrighted Material

Post by Sally » Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:25 am

I have amended the copyright rules to cover those instances in which a member would like to post photos they find on other websites. Just because a photo is posted on a public forum/website/host does not automatically give permission to cross-post. We still must receive written permission from the original author/owner of that photo. Links are permissible and very welcome.
3 Purple Grenadiers, 1 Goldbreast + 1 cat.

National Finch & Softbill Society - http://www.nfss.org

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Sally
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Re: Rules for Using Copyrighted Material

Post by Sally » Sun Jun 30, 2013 1:27 pm

Just a quick reminder of the forum copyright rules. Since we have numerous new members, not all are aware of this policy. Please read this topic once again if you aren't sure if a photo or article can be posted on this forum. Just because something is out there on the internet and can be googled doesn't mean that it isn't copyrighted. Authors and photographers are very proud of their work, it is only courteous to ask permission before using any of their work.
3 Purple Grenadiers, 1 Goldbreast + 1 cat.

National Finch & Softbill Society - http://www.nfss.org

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Sally
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Re: Rules for Using Copyrighted Material

Post by Sally » Mon Nov 03, 2014 11:05 am

Just a quick reminder to all regarding our policies for posting photos found on the web. Though it seems that photos are posted all over sites like Facebook without regard to copyright infringement, it is still not legal to use another person's photos without their permission. Most photographers work very hard to produce those stunning photos, and many of them expect that work to result in some income. At the very least, they expect the courtesy of a request for permission to use the photo and credit for their skills.

If forum members wish to share photos they have found on the web, please use a link to that photo rather than copying it to our forum. Our policy states that members may only post their own photos on the forum, unless they have written permission to use other's photos.
3 Purple Grenadiers, 1 Goldbreast + 1 cat.

National Finch & Softbill Society - http://www.nfss.org

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Sally
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Re: Rules for Using Copyrighted Material

Post by Sally » Mon Jan 19, 2015 3:20 pm

It has come to the attention of the Moderation Team that there have been quite a few photos posted lately that are obviously not those of the forum member posting. We would like to remind everyone that it is the policy of this forum that members may only post their own photos, unless they have written permission from the original author to use the photos.

Though the trend today is to use anyone's photo that is posted anywhere on the internet, we would like to pass on the information we have researched. Most social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram do state in the fine print in their Terms of Service that all content is copyrighted. That means that those photos/articles cannot be copied and printed elsewhere on the internet. Copyright law states that any photo or word that is posted on the internet is automatically copyrighted.

Many websites are using photos without permission. Many have the impression that if it is on the internet, it is free for the taking. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most authors and photographers are very proud of their work, and they find it insulting for people to simply use the photos/words without permission and without credit. We don't want to violate anyone's copyright, any more than we would want others to use photos/information posted on the Finch Forum. Our forum in total is copyrighted. When you post one of your photos here, it is immediately and automatically copyrighted.

We love it when members post links to other websites/photos/articles, we all learn from this, but it is the only way that is acceptable on our forum. Photos of commercial products such as cages/food/supplements are allowed, as vendors love the promotion of their products. Small portions of articles may be copied by putting the statements in quote marks and giving credit to the author, preferably with a link to the whole article.

When any of the Moderation Team sees a photo that appears not to be the work of the forum member, we will be asking you to remove the photo and replace it with a link to the photo. Thanks for your understanding, we'd much rather be enjoying posts than having to correct them.

The Moderation Team
3 Purple Grenadiers, 1 Goldbreast + 1 cat.

National Finch & Softbill Society - http://www.nfss.org

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