Expert: Shannon Moore - 3/17/2008

Question
I see that you dont go too much into the legal portion of Copyrights but I am hoping you might be able to offer some insight on my question. I have been creating computer desktop backgrounds for some time, mostly for fun and friends. Majority of the material is taken from yahoo images, a lot of celebrety designs, vehicles etc. etc. I have quite an extensive collection and wanted to offer them to people for free on my site. The designs are all very professional looking and I dont think the celebs at least would not mind the free promotion. Is the worst that could happen is a cease and desist order, or could i get into any more legal issues? Thanks appreciate your knowledge in this matter.

Answer
Dear Nick,

Copyright infringement is taken very seriously. While I understand that your intentions may be all well & good -- the owners of the images you're using might not care either way.

"Copyright infringement is generally a civil matter, which the copyright owner must pursue in federal court. Under certain circumstances, the infringement may also constitute a criminal misdemeanor or felony, which would be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice."

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-infringement.html -- link to above quote

I'd strongly recommending contacting a copyright attorney to review your work & obtain some legal advice.

Hope that helps! Please let me know if I can assist you with any other questions. Thank you!

Warmest regards,
Shannon Moore
http://www.tmexpress.com
http://tmexpress.blogspot.com