More Than Just Giving Credit...
Giving credit for things you put on your website but didn’t create is very important. The image I use in this layout was created by a designer on iStockPhoto, which I purchased. Because of the licensing of the file, I don’t have to disclose that I got the image from there, but I don’t see any reason not to. The way that site works, you can purchase an image for individual use, or you can pay a higher price to be able to put it on templates, shirts, etc. Because I’m only using it in a layout, I don’t need to pay the higher price. If I decide one day I want to set up a CafePress and use the girl image, I’d have to pay the $150.
illegal image
Today I happened across a site (link removed on site owner’s request) that uses some iStock images illegally. You can see she copied the image from the thumbnail preview because it still has the grey line through it in the exact place it is on the thumbnail at iStock. On her site (image to t he right incase she removes it) she lists a credit to iStockPhoto for the images, but does not link them. Their license does not say that you may use the image if you say you got it from here. It says you must purchase the rights to use the royalty free images, or you may not use them at all.
The point in my post is not to lecture her, maybe I shouldn’t have linked her at all, but to tell everyone else how important it is to follow the rules of the site you get your material from. If credit is necessary, make sure to link them on your site. If purchase is necessary, shell out the money or don’t use it at all. Once you get the stigma of being a copier or stealer, it’s very hard to dispell it.
If you are ever caught doing something like this, or are doing it now and didn’t even realize.. the best thing to do is publish an apology and remove the material or correct the situation by following the rules of the site you got the material from. I hope by the time anyone reads this she will have noticed what happened and removed it from her site.
If it was your hard work sitting on someone’s site that didn’t follow your rules.. what would you do?
