Copyright
Concerns
Be sure you're aware of the rules regarding images scanned from properties
other than your own.
Now that you've bought a scanner, you probably want to use it to
scan images into your computer, right? Of course you do -- that's
why you bought the thing. But before you embark on a scanning odyssey,
take a moment to think about the legal implications of what you
are about to do. In particular, if you are scanning images created
by third-parties (e.g. from magazines, books, etc.) without their
permission, you could be engaging in copyright infringement.
Copyright law gives authors the exclusive right to prevent outside
parties from copying, altering, or distributing their works without
their permission. By scanning an image into a computer, you are
making a copy; by using a scanned image to create a new image, you
are altering that image; and by posting copies of that image on
the web or handing out print-outs, you are distributing that image
to others.
So what should you do if you want to avoid infringing on someone's
copyright, but still want to make use of third-party images? Well,
one option is to only scan and use images that are not protected
by copyright. Copyright protection extends for a limited term, typically
the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. So images created
prior to 1900 are probably in the public domain and available for
anyone. However, limiting yourself to such pictures will probably
keep your presentations as up-to-date as your grandmother's record
collection.
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