Google search for images is "fair use"

[gunug]

I don't know that this is the last word on this but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a ruling that deals with "fair use" of images online.

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005259.php

QUOTE

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals handed Internet innovators and users of all stripes a huge victory [PDF] today in the much-anticipated Perfect 10 v. Google decision. The decision covers a wide-range of online copyright issues from in-line linking to fair use to the DMCA safe harbors and post-Grokster liability. Perfect 10 had sued Google for copyright infringement, claiming that its "Image Search" tool illegally reproduced and displayed P10 photos when it returned thumbnail results and framed third-party websites in response to search terms. It also claimed that Google was liable for contributing to Internet user infringement when users would look at pictures online that they had found via Google Image search.

While it leaves some questions open, the bottom line is that the Court upheld important policies of fair use and freedom online and resisted Perfect 10’s plea to put copyright owners completely in charge of how and when search engines and other online intermediaries can provide their users with links to images. (Full disclosure: EFF filed [PDF] an amicus brief supporting Google in the case.)

[RobW]

gunug, since we're all just feeling our way around here with the new forum setups, I hope you don't mind if I move this one to the "tech side." I think it might be of interest (and maybe missed by some members) who don't often frequent the community posts. I think it's definitely is a news item with a tech related theme--and broad tech related implications. The tech issues are so far ahead of the law in these areas that it'll be interesting (at least to some of us) to see how all of this will play out over time.

I hope everyone will hang in there with us during these early days with the new forum setup!

[gunug]

Not a problem RobW; I think this is recognition of a "right-minded-ness" (sorry) of the way a lot of the internet evolved.  Most people post images of interest and most people would agree to ask permission or pay for the use of something that is used to accomplish a commercial task.  I don't know why someone would post images (music, whatever) openly if this wasn't the case; the internet as a whole should be treated as a public forum.  :smiley of Gunug tripping on his way off the soapbox:

[Gregg]

The new setup kinda renders the "OT" moniker obsolete, don't it?

(I was just tripped up by the "other" Add Reply button and had to start over. I forgot the rest...)