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Court Backs Thumbnail Image Linking

Legal Issues

from the fair-use-is-fair-use dept

Mon, Jul 7th 2003 11:29pm — Mike Masnick
An interesting ruling from a Federal Court today saying that it is perfectly legal for an image search engine to display thumbnails of images that someone else owns the copyright to. This makes sense. As for the question of whether or not they can also present full-size images, they have sent that issue back to the district court to review. They say that showing the thumbnail is fair use. The EFF is championing this decision as fair use permission to link to any copyrighted materials - which sounds like it might be stretching the ruling a bit further than intended. Either way, though, you have to wonder about anyone who puts material online and then doesn't want people to link to it. If you're going to be that protective... don't put it online.
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  • identicon
    Curtis J Neeley Jr, 29 May 2011 @ 5:20pm

    A court said what.....?

    A court said that thumbnails are fair use? This expanse of the narrow exemption to copyrite 17 USC would hardly even limp along on an appeal.

    (5:09-cv-05151) will not go away until the Open Internet of Porn or inappropriate art for minors is gone. Enjoy the "Open Internet of Porn" while confused judges try to protect display of nudes by GOOG>

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Curtis (profile), 29 May 2011 @ 11:06pm

    fair-use is not fair

    Keep your eyes on the law that was passed in 1990 in the USA that gave artists moral exclusive rights to their visual art.

    It is no longer only a European right.

    It is destined for the Supreme Court and Congress again as you read this May 30, 2011.

    "Fair use" was alleged by GOOG to be scanning a book "posted" in a library and re-publishing it online regardless of copyrites. GOOG is not likely to redefine "fair-use" or "copyrite" in lawsuits.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Curtis (profile), 29 May 2011 @ 11:13pm

    "Do no evil?" Yeah - right.... more like "obey no law".

    Sure it would be great if GOOG could re-publish anything they found online or in libraries. Everyone could just surf google.com instead of going anywhere else online or ever visiting libraries or bookstores? "Do no evil?" Yeah - right.... more like "obey no law".

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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