It seems that my little corner of the internet has had some light shed on it.
I was sent an email from one of the original owners of a image used in a caption here. I promptly removed as the email requested. Scrolling down to the bottom of this blog shows that I am more than willing to remove images if owners say so.
However, this bring me to a crossroads. This blog has been a bit of escapism for me and if it's going to be an issue then I don't now know if I can maintain it. I would rather stop now than let it become an issue.
At the moment, I won't be posting any new content, at least no new captions. Perhaps I will find another format to choose that won't fall into such a grey area - text stories perhaps. When I make a dicision on what that will be, I will make an update.
How much time do these people have hunting down the use of such images? Anyway thanks for letting us know what you are thinking.
ReplyDeleteSimone,
ReplyDeleteI am heartily sorry you are going through this :)
It's the "elephant in the room" with Caption-makers. We all know that we have no "legal right" to use the images that we use. We only can hope that the image is either so old that nobody cares, or so widely disseminated already that there would be no reason to single US out.
That, plus the fact that most of us,like you, do what we do purely for entertainment and distraction, and make ZERO profit off of any of the images.
We hope that if we post the obligatory "If I have used your image, tell me and I'll pull it" message, that it will suffice. Normally just removing the offending image is enough... I hope it is so in your case :)
I hope circumstance allow for you to continue posting your caps in some fashion. If they don't, I understand, and hope you are able to find another outlet for your obviously great creative energies...
/hugs
It sounds like it went a little better then you could hope for, but it's still is a shame that someone requested it in the first place. Clearly you aren't making any profit from it and would gladly link back to the person. and if that's a no go, well, you already complied with their wishes and removed it. Outside of that, there's not much else you can do.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to try out crafting your own text stories, then that sounds wonderful and support you. But I'm wondering if it's just nerves talking when you say you are thinking about putting your caption making days behind you. Like you said, you had a discliamer on your site for this very thing, so you always knew it was possible.
I know I would probably lay low for a bit my self, but I don't know if I would stop. Maybe branch out, like you are thinking, but not give it all up entirely. Even if I was just to cap for a trade gallery like the haven, maybe.
Hope you get to feeling better and that this is the last you hear about it. *hugs*
Simone,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that you went through this. I can imagine how fearful this can make you, and if stopping making caps makes you feel better, then I support your decision. At the same time though I do hope you continue. Your style and elegance would be horribly missed.
I agree, I would love to read more, but your happiness must come first.
DeleteJust a thought, how about looking on Flickr for images with a Creative Commons license. Yes, the universe of photos is more limited, but the odds of an issue arising go down dramatically. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you're not making money off of the use of the images, you likely have a fair use argument. Your use of the images is somewhat transformative. Don't let some e-bullying stop you from exercising your Constitutional rights by making art not-for-profit.
ReplyDeleteNooo! please don't quit - you are one of the best content creators for tg captions. Seriously - it's not like you are selling them. Please don't let it discourage you.
ReplyDeleteI believe your use of the images would fall under the rules allowed for fair use. First, you are not gaining any profit from it, which is important. Secondly, you are not using it in such a way that it would detract from the profitability of the original.
ReplyDeleteIts not unthinkable that some owners of some images might not be pleased by your use of their images, but you DO comply immediately (or as soon as you can reasonably do so) to remove any image at the request of the owner.
Of course, the fact that you write fantastic captions is a very good reason I don't want you to quit, but that's different all together. Please keep going!
As a capper and new blog owner, this is something I've only marginally thought about. Did the discussions end when you removed the picture? I'm curious how far some people are willing to push. I'm sorry to hear you had to go through this.
ReplyDelete