Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

The intention of download is for the viewer to simply be able to view the image in detail, it's not an offering to take it if they wanted. There IS a difference that many cannot see or understand. Some will interpret and justify to their advantage.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

It is not "up for grabs" and could be illegal. For more info check out this site http://thecopyrightzone.com/

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

evan_moor

By "up for grabs", I mean that it is easy to just right-click-> save image as... Of course, if someone gets up in arms about any image on the web and wants to spend money to take you to court you will lose.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

MOST people take "up for grabs" as a synonym for free for all.

tinwhistle

I have been criticized on this forum for not posting pictures (or very few), and the ones I do post are not of superior quality. I never, ever post, anywhere on the internet, my good stuff. As far as I'm concerned any time you post anything on the "net" it's in the public domain and you have lost all control.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

I will be honest. I do not post very many images here either. I might be wrong, but I think this is a discussion forum. If I wanted to post images I would be over in the gallery.

User ID

Art IS public from it's creation. Owning
it is subversive. Art is not capital, land,
food or shelter. IOW not essential.

The basic ethic is that whatever effort
artists spend creating what does not
feed nor shelter nor protect anyone is
effort subsidized by the community at
large, and the product belongs to the
community on that basis.

The above ignores The Law. It also
fails to define "art" or "artist". But it
is a basic ethical concept.

We are here in an interactive digital
environment, so here is something
you can do to be more interactive.
Steal this photo [if you like it].

Here is one of my fave images. Shot
pro bono for a nonprofit and has been
published. Some of the subjects are
persons of international renown so be
careful what you do with it but feel
free to "steal" it for personal use ...
if you like it.

(Download)

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

No more so than food, which is also a social product. I speak as a person who works in agriculture. The wild apple trees around here bear abundantly without any help from us. We are not paid for making the food, we are paid for our time and expense gathering, sorting and storing the harvest. That work is a product of the entire community writ large, with the skills and knowledge that are employed going back hundreds of years and passed down through the generations, and that represents the contributions of tens of millions of people.

What people value is what people value. Your opinions don't change that.

Most artists are contributing their work to the community in various ways. However, it was long ago decided by wiser people than you or I, that it was of benefit to the entire community for artists to have some protection in the marketplace.

So enjoy the work of artists. But when you try to take their work as your own and profit from it, it is you who is being subsidized and you who is robbing the community. So much for your "ethics" argument. That is the concern, the basis for the discussion. It is fine to claim that art is public, but in the real world people other than the artist will steal and try to profit from the work of the artist.

Mike

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Welcome to UHH.

It is good form to request permission from an artist before you use their work for any purpose, public or private, commercial or non-commercial.

Mike

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

I see that you are still speaking softly and casting a long shadow!



Mike

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Always...
Well, most of the time.