Permissions

[Meph]

So hello Forum of the Playground, here’s a request for info about rules, law, permissions, the “C” word and stuff. And since it is a tough speech these days I will try to narrow it down.

In most of the websites I take part of I’m using this particular drawing from an anime as profile picture. I do it since about 2003 and never had issues from the author about it. Back when I used it the first times the Internet was very different (and I was very younger), so I didn’t pay a thought for copyright questions.

Now the matter has grown more important and I do pay attention, but my lack of real law knowledge together with the bunch of sourceless and hazy information the Internet itself provides don’t help much.

So I’m here to figure a hypothetical situation whose answer should be easily given from the moderators: let’s say I put a picture cut off from a screenshot from the oots as a profile picture in facebook, or for making a tattoo on my shoulder. What were the copyright position of it? And specifically about us, what were the Giant in the Playground’s rules to state?

We’re not lawyers and as moderators I get you basically work for free, so thanks you very much in advance for reading such a prosy message and taking care of my task. I know this isn’t the typical “Arts and crafts” post, but scrolling the board sections I could find no better place.

[Madcrafter]

This is already covered in the rules:

Copyrighted Material and OotS Images
Using copyrighted artwork as an avatar is technically illegal unless you have the permission of the copyright holder. Even if the art is modified in some way, the original copyright still stands and you can't use it as an avatar. Rich Burlew has specifically requested that people DO NOT use his OOTS art as avatar image, other than those he has specifically provided as the default message board avatars. Also, please do not take, alter, or use the provided avatar images, comic images, or other pieces of Rich's art without express consent. If you want an OOTS-style avatar, there are many burgeoning avatar artists hanging around the Arts and Crafts forum who might make one for you.

Any avatar image that is found to be used without the permission of the copyright holder will be removed. If the creator of an avatar personally approaches the GITP staff and claims that their creation is being used without permission by another poster--as might be the case if they requested credit for the avatar and then were denied such--the Moderators will remove the avatar immediately. The first instance of this will incur a Warning, but should the member reinstate his or her violating avatar or create another avatar that also violates the rules, he or she will be issued an Infraction.