I am a keen fotographer and every foto you see on any of our websites is my own.
We needed a foto of a Peregrine Falcon to use on another of the Pilgrim Family sites, but although we have a few Harris hawks I have not yet had the opportunity to fotograph a peregrine.
Easy, you would think, just type peregrine into Google Images, find a foto, copy and paste, and there you are.
Well . . Yes, it would work in theory.
But it is a firm ‘No’ according to the law, and for us it is a ‘No’ based on what we read in the Word.
Copyright and Creation
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The casual throwaway comment so often heard is of the ilk of: “Oh, but that is just a foto. Anyone could have snapped that shot.”
Maybe, maybe not. But no-one else actually did. And who can say how much preparation, thought, and artistic talent went into presenting that one image?
Urban and Christan myths about Copyright
The ‘urban myths’ are those that postulate that it is OK to use a foto or written content . .
– if it does not have an obvious copyright symbol © on it
– because it is being shared on a free forum
– if a disclaimer such as “I do not own the rights . .”, or “I am not making any money out of this . .” is tagged on.
The simple (and legal) truth is that any published work, including photographs, is copyrighted even if it does not carry a copyright symbol.
There are Christian myths around too, including the one that posits because God created everything then we must not claim ownership to any of it, and any content or fotos should be free for all.
We believe in respect for ownership, whilst always being open to share our creativity. If you would like to reproduce any of our work, please feel freeto contact us to make a request. We are friendly.
In addition to creating, God gave us the responsibility of looking after His creation. Responsibility means work. The Word goes on to say that a labourer is worthy of his hire, and that we deserve due recompense for the work of our hands.
A fotograph on a website is as much someone’s work as a painting on a wall. If I were to take a painting from an artist’s wall and wander out the door with it, then both he and the local police would surely have something to say about it.
Further reading on Copyright
One of the best references I have found on this is: www.templetons.com
Brief quotes from there:
“These days, almost all things are copyrighted the moment they are written, and no copyright notice is required.
Copyright is still violated whether you charged money or not, only damages are affected by that.”
Our thanks to Brandon Holden, photographer extraordinaire of falcons and other birdlife, who open-heartedly gave us permission to use his superb images.
You can see Brandon’s work here: Brandon Holden Photographs