Image Piracy or No One Will Know I Put This Meme in My PowerPoint
PowerPoints.
They are the bane of every presenter's and instructor's existence. We are taught that our PowerPoint presentations must be very visual and eye-catching in order to keep our attendees' and students' attention. We are also taught that the less words and the more images we use, the better.
So how do we do this? How do we find relevant or amusing images to use? Can't we just "borrow" an image off the internet? I mean, if I'm just using the PowerPoint in my classroom or at a professional conference, who's going to know?
The problem is, someone COULD know. These days, things get shared with the internet all the time. Attendees take pictures of our PowerPoint slides, they share them with coworkers, and suddenly, they are on the internet. And eventually those copied images make their way back to the original owner. If that original owner is someone like Getty Images, you may receive a letter threatening to sue you for thousands of dollars for using their image for your gain.
So how do we make our students and attendees happy while also using images lawfully? The first answer is to take the pictures yourself. As someone who has lectured at conferences for over 5 years now, I learned quickly the benefit of having my cell phone in my pocket at all times. I took pictures and video of everything I could think of, and copyrighted them with a caption. Because many of my attendees snap pictures of my PowerPoint slides, I also copyright every slide in my slide deck as well.
If taking your own pictures isn't feasible, you can still use images off the internet. To find out which ones you can use without trouble, you may find the follow websites useful:
Shutterstock.com - a stock image website that allows you to purchase licenses to use their images. There are numerous similar websites available like Pexels, Adobe Stock, and Pixabay. If your presentations are for work, you may be able to convince your company to purchase a subscription license from one of these companies to make using their images even easier.
Google's Advanced Image Search- This search option allows you to not only look for a specific image, but also to filter the results into specific usage rights, like images that are free to use and share, or even to modify. It searches the internet for images within the guidelines you select, and then it is up to you to follow through with those usage rights.
Copyright.gov - the official government website that provides information on all things copyright, including the U.S. Codes that lay out the official rules and FAQs.
Copyrightlaws.com- this website was created by Author and Copyright Lawyer Lesley Ellen Harris and is a wealth of information. It provides courses, certificate programs, and articles on copyright related topics. She even has a newsletter you can subscribe to to stay current on copyright issues. One of the articles she posted in April of this year was on the very topic of using images legally when creating slideshows.
On of her key points is that we should always assume that the image we are considering using is copyrighted. In order for an image to be considered public domain (and free to use), the creator must be dead for over 70 years, though she did point out that changes to that image by a new creator result in a new copyright. An example would be creating a .gif image from a picture of the 1939 World's Fair- the original image copyright has expired, but the .gif image now has a new one.
Another key point is that simply adding or changing the color of the image, or trimming it or zooming in on it without the owner's permission violates copyright law. She also pointed out that just because you were granted permission to use the image in a work PowerPoint does not mean that you can use the image whenever else you wish to. The permission granted is only meant for the specific instance that you asked for.
As someone who has "snuck" a few images in the past, and has now seen my own images being shared with others, I understand the need to protect one's work a little more. I also realize that the bigger the internet becomes, and the more images and videos that are uploaded to it, the harder it will become to trace where all the originals came from. Even watermarks can sometimes be removed using photo editing software, making protection methods harder to come by. As a good digital citizen, I vow to uphold my end of the copyright law by only using images that I have been given permitted to do so. I also vow to give my fellow instructors and presenters some mild hell when I see them trying to sneak in a picture from the internet.
So, to keep true to my vow, in order to use the image above from someecards.com, I contacted them for permission to use for this blog post. In less than 7 hours, I had a response. It really is not that difficult to ask. The worst thing they can say is no, and then you can search for a different image and try again. Copyright permissions are NOT for procrastinators! :) The best thing they can say is yes, and your conscience can be clear in knowing you are not a copyright violator!
References
Author's own image
They are the bane of every presenter's and instructor's existence. We are taught that our PowerPoint presentations must be very visual and eye-catching in order to keep our attendees' and students' attention. We are also taught that the less words and the more images we use, the better.
So how do we do this? How do we find relevant or amusing images to use? Can't we just "borrow" an image off the internet? I mean, if I'm just using the PowerPoint in my classroom or at a professional conference, who's going to know?
Image courtesy of someecards.com
The problem is, someone COULD know. These days, things get shared with the internet all the time. Attendees take pictures of our PowerPoint slides, they share them with coworkers, and suddenly, they are on the internet. And eventually those copied images make their way back to the original owner. If that original owner is someone like Getty Images, you may receive a letter threatening to sue you for thousands of dollars for using their image for your gain.
So how do we make our students and attendees happy while also using images lawfully? The first answer is to take the pictures yourself. As someone who has lectured at conferences for over 5 years now, I learned quickly the benefit of having my cell phone in my pocket at all times. I took pictures and video of everything I could think of, and copyrighted them with a caption. Because many of my attendees snap pictures of my PowerPoint slides, I also copyright every slide in my slide deck as well.
If taking your own pictures isn't feasible, you can still use images off the internet. To find out which ones you can use without trouble, you may find the follow websites useful:
Shutterstock.com - a stock image website that allows you to purchase licenses to use their images. There are numerous similar websites available like Pexels, Adobe Stock, and Pixabay. If your presentations are for work, you may be able to convince your company to purchase a subscription license from one of these companies to make using their images even easier.
Google's Advanced Image Search- This search option allows you to not only look for a specific image, but also to filter the results into specific usage rights, like images that are free to use and share, or even to modify. It searches the internet for images within the guidelines you select, and then it is up to you to follow through with those usage rights.
Copyright.gov - the official government website that provides information on all things copyright, including the U.S. Codes that lay out the official rules and FAQs.
Copyrightlaws.com- this website was created by Author and Copyright Lawyer Lesley Ellen Harris and is a wealth of information. It provides courses, certificate programs, and articles on copyright related topics. She even has a newsletter you can subscribe to to stay current on copyright issues. One of the articles she posted in April of this year was on the very topic of using images legally when creating slideshows.
On of her key points is that we should always assume that the image we are considering using is copyrighted. In order for an image to be considered public domain (and free to use), the creator must be dead for over 70 years, though she did point out that changes to that image by a new creator result in a new copyright. An example would be creating a .gif image from a picture of the 1939 World's Fair- the original image copyright has expired, but the .gif image now has a new one.
Another key point is that simply adding or changing the color of the image, or trimming it or zooming in on it without the owner's permission violates copyright law. She also pointed out that just because you were granted permission to use the image in a work PowerPoint does not mean that you can use the image whenever else you wish to. The permission granted is only meant for the specific instance that you asked for.
As someone who has "snuck" a few images in the past, and has now seen my own images being shared with others, I understand the need to protect one's work a little more. I also realize that the bigger the internet becomes, and the more images and videos that are uploaded to it, the harder it will become to trace where all the originals came from. Even watermarks can sometimes be removed using photo editing software, making protection methods harder to come by. As a good digital citizen, I vow to uphold my end of the copyright law by only using images that I have been given permitted to do so. I also vow to give my fellow instructors and presenters some mild hell when I see them trying to sneak in a picture from the internet.
So, to keep true to my vow, in order to use the image above from someecards.com, I contacted them for permission to use for this blog post. In less than 7 hours, I had a response. It really is not that difficult to ask. The worst thing they can say is no, and then you can search for a different image and try again. Copyright permissions are NOT for procrastinators! :) The best thing they can say is yes, and your conscience can be clear in knowing you are not a copyright violator!
References
Copyright Law and Legally Using Images in Slide
Presentations. (2017, April 11).
Retrieved October 3, 2017, from Copyrightlaws.com:
http://www.copyrightlaws.com/copyright-law-and-legally-using-images-in-slide-presentations/
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