This morning, had an email from a long time client in my inbox with the subject line: HELP!!! (Have I mentioned that I HATE Mondays!)
Kathy,I just got a letter from [attorney] at [business name]. She said that there is an image of a bowl of fruit on two pages of my web site that are a copyright infringement....She said that we have to pay $5,850 and have it off the website in 10 days. What in the world is this all about? HELP!!!
This client came to me with her web site already developed about 7 years ago. She ADORED the design and didn’t want me to change the APPEARANCE of the site. So, I tweaked her web site BEHIND the scenes so it would be more attractive to the search engines.
Now, YEARS LATER, I have a client who is TERRIFIED of the impending legal action and there’s nothing I can do to alleviate her fears. See, in the world of image licensing and copyright, you’re guilty until you prove yourself innocent. You prove your inocence by providing PROOF that you licensed the image…otherwise known as "save your reciept".
If you’d like to learn more about licensing images for use on your web site, read this article: Using images on your website
