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Profile photos/logos (copyright infringement?)

• BOBTX61 311 Posts

  Fri, Apr 27 2012 8:50 PM

  Over the past couple of months......I have noticed MANY Profile photos that are using LOGOs (like from professional sports teams, etc.)....as well as photos of famous people.  I even came across a Profile Photo one WGT member is using....that is an exact duplicate of American Actress Natalie Portman (that is a photo of her from an official movie poster...from the movie "Black Swan". 

  I'm definitely NOT an expert on these matters......but, it just seems to me that some of these WGT Profile photos.........very well "could" be infringements on "copyrights".

  Are there any "legal" types out there on WGT who have knowledge of this issue?  I'm just curious.

  Bob

• TrikiRik 103 Posts

  Fri, Apr 27 2012 9:07 PM

  BOBTX61:

  but, it just seems to me that some of these WGT Profile photos.........very well "could" be infringements on "copyrights".

  The infringement would have to be proven to have caused harm to the holder of the copyright either financial or physical and to have been done in a malicious manner with known intent, it is unlikely that an entity would pursue legal action against the use of such (sports/team logos, cartoon characters, products, or public images) in this particular manner.

• frappefort 3,994 Posts

  Fri, Apr 27 2012 10:11 PM

  This is all for fun ; if its in good taste ,  i dont see the prob here,( exemple using Rambo picture  or Bug bunny )  or in this case a beautiful woman !             unless  like we say in French   you are looking for bugs    :) 

• Victoria47 629 Posts

  Sat, Apr 28 2012 5:17 AM

  mr. bob from texas is talking about me...

  he is disappointed, that I did not wanted to be his friend !

  now he will bother me, because i used a foto from Natalie Portman from Israel.

  Never observed such a absudity--- nearly each 20th. member has a pic from a wellknown person,  an animal or other subjects...

  I wish mr. bob much fun on his foto-search  :-))

• BOBTX61 311 Posts

  Sat, Apr 28 2012 8:58 AM

  No..........you're wrong, Miss Victoria....or whatever your real name is.  I am not the least bit disappointed about not being one of your WGT friends.  I've got ZERO problems with that.

  And, I think it is a little ridiculous that some WGT members feel they need to use photos of celebrities for their Profile photos.  But, I sort of doubt if any of those celebrities would be very happy knowing photos of them were being used by WGT members OR people on other social type websites.  That's almost like a WGT member in England using a photo of the Queen of England...just wouldn't seem "appropriate".  But, when I did a "search" of photos of Natalie Portman - as I was thinking that's WHO that was (not a photo of you),  I found it troublesome that your profile photo was an "exact copy" of Miss Portman's photo on the official movie poster from "Black Swan"......pretty sure you need "permission" to do that.....just saying. 

  You know, Victoria, if you're concerned about showing a REAL photo of yourself.....and wish to remain "anonymous" here on WGT.......that's WHY WGT created "Avatars" to use....and I would think that by using an "avatar", you should have few problems with male WGT players.  Not sure that using a photo of one of the most beautiful Hollywood Actresses is a great option.  Or, well, maybe you could just post a photo of the German flag.

  Good Luck to you!

  Bob

• FrankSins 75 Posts

  Sat, Apr 28 2012 9:07 AM

  BOBTX61:

  No..........you're wrong, Miss Victoria....or whatever your real name is.  I am not the least bit disappointed about not being one of your WGT friends.  I've got ZERO problems with that.

  And, I think it is a little ridiculous that some WGT members feel they need to use photos of celebrities for their Profile photos.  But, I sort of doubt if any of those celebrities would be very happy knowing photos of them were being used by WGT members OR people on other social type websites.  That's almost like a WGT member in England using a photo of the Queen of England...just wouldn't seem "appropriate".  But, when I did a "search" of photos of Natalie Portman - as I was thinking that's WHO that was (not a photo of you),  I found it troublesome that your profile photo was an "exact copy" of Miss Portman's photo on the official movie poster from "Black Swan"......pretty sure you need "permission" to do that.....just saying. 

  You know, Victoria, if you're concerned about showing a REAL photo of yourself.....and wish to remain "anonymous" here on WGT.......that's WHY WGT created "Avatars" to use....and I would think that by using an "avatar", you should have few problems with male WGT players.  Not sure that using a photo of one of the most beautiful Hollywood Actresses is a great option.  Or, well, maybe you could just post a photo of the German flag.

  Good Luck to you!

  Bob

  Then you should check more photo's on this site. You will notice that many are of well known people, drawings,cartoons and whatever. It's no big deal. I like fishing but not trolling.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Sat, Apr 28 2012 10:01 AM

  Just for the record, George Steinbrenner personally gave me permission to use his team's logo. This was before he died and his son's are allowing it to continue.  ;-)

• mel1950 2,887 Posts

  Sat, Apr 28 2012 10:06 AM

  BOBTX61:

  That's almost like a WGT member in England using a photo of the Queen of England...just wouldn't seem "appropriate"

  I actually post a picture of the Queen of England quite often. Her face is public domain on all of our postage stamps.:~)) LOL

  Mel

• BOBTX61 311 Posts

  Sat, Apr 28 2012 10:09 AM

  Hello, Frank.  Well "yes".....I have noticed here on WGT that there are many profile photos that use cartoons, drawings, photos of celebrities, etc.......but, I came across a VERY detailed website of an Attorney in Los Angeles, Calif. who specializes in "copyright" laws (including how they are involved on the Internet).  He states that, the rule of thumb is, if you do not have "written permission" to use a photo, image, etc., don't use it.  And that "copyright infringement:" IS "copyright infringement" regardles of one's "motive".  Even a new photo or image found on the Internet carries with it, copyright protection for 75 yrs.

  It's about "doing the right thing".......but, this really doesn't seem important to people any longer. If I were the owners of WGT (and I know....I'm not)....I'd require members to either us an avatar OR a "real photo" of themselves. 

  But, I realize, there are not WGT rules about the photo or image that  you can use for your Profile pic.  I was just trying to make a point, that's all. 

• Doublemochaman 2,009 Posts

  Sat, Apr 28 2012 10:11 AM

  YankeeJim:

  Just for the record, George Steinbrenner personally gave me permission to use his team's logo.

   

  Don't you mean the other George:  George Costanza?