Copyrights

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  patricksemaan · Member · Feb 23, 2009 at 11:57 pm

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  Hello, I have a copyright related question.

  First, if you put on your blog a tutorial, for example: How To Create a CD Cover, and in the tutorial you use an example of a ready made CD cover by another graphic designer, and this designer does not have their own site to link to, is it legal for you to post a copy or thumbnail of his artwork with his name attached while giving him full credit for the original work?

  Second, if you then create your tutorial and in the process you design something similar to the CD cover you are using as an example, without using any material from the original artwork but just creating something similar to teach the technique used to create the original (and credited to the original artist), is there any copyright infringement?

  Then, if the owner of the original artwork asks you to remove this tutorial from your blog because his artwork that you used as the example is copyrighted, do you have to remove it? Also, if assuming you remove his artwork but keep his name as the inspiration for the tutorial and he asks you to also remove his name, do you have to remove it? And finally, if I remove his artwork and name can I keep the tutorial as well as the final image the tutorial helps to create, which is based on and is very similar to the original artwork but is not identical (using different materials as the base)?

  The tutorial has been done as a critique of another artist’s work, so the final product therefore ends up looking similar but only to show how to create this kind of artwork.

  I know its a lot of questions but it’s important to know, thanks!

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  tellyworth · Staff · Feb 24, 2009 at 12:27 am

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  It’s illegal to copy someone else’s work without their permission. Giving credit or a link to the author doesn’t exempt you from this. You must obtain permission first, either by asking the copyright holder directly, or by using work that has been published with a license permitting reuse (such as a Creative Commons license).

  Every blogger should read and understand this:

  http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

  If you’re looking for sample artwork to use in a tutorial, try searching Flickr.com for photographs that have an appropriate Creative Commons license:

  http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/