(BLOG POST)

This blog post originally appeared on StacyGrossmanLaw.com. Stacy Grossman is an attorney with more than 20 years of experience representing individuals and businesses in connection with intellectual property and publishing matters. IBPA welcomes your feedback in the comments section of this post.

by Stacy J Grossman

“I’m frequently asked whether it’s okay to copy a picture found on the Internet, and use it on a website, or in a newsletter. My answer is always the same: “not unless you have permission.” The reason is this: making an unauthorized copy of someone else’s work is copyright infringement, and can subject you to substantial damages – up to $150,000 per work infringed, in extreme cases.

If you want to use a photograph, you need permission from the copyright owner. And the owner of the copyright in a photograph is not the subject of the photograph, but the person who presses the shutter button.

This issue was addressed last year in a funny case involving a selfie taken by a monkey.”

Read more at StacyGrossmanLaw.com.