READ ME! If you do not support the complete message of this stamp then, I urge you, PLEASE DO NOT add this stamp to your favourites!
Get permission before using any creative work that is not your own. Crediting or disclaiming IS NOT permission.
What's this About?
You don't feel bad using someone else's pretty photo or kawaii anime artwork for your graphic design? Because it's copying, not stealing? Right? But you're not just making a copy of the file! You're leeching off someone else's talent without them knowing!
Artists have the same intellectual property rights online as they do in real life. And just because it's easy to get away with it on the internet, doesn't mean it's ok to do!
IT FEELS GOOD to know people want to use your artwork for a web/graphic design. But it's annoying to have it done without your awareness.
Ask permission! Communicate! Make an artist happy knowing you like their work! Make yourself happy knowing the artist is ok with you've done with their work!
MISCONCEPTIONS
Purchasing a book, game, music or DVD, does not grant you the right to copy its content online. These products come with a license limiting what you can do with them. Quite often the author states inside the cover they do not want you re-using their work!
Crediting or disclaiming does not equal permission. It doesn't clear you of doing anything wrong.
"Credit to whoever" or "this isn't mine, I found it on the internet" is a pointless thing to say. It doesn't help anyone.
Google, Photobucket, scan galleries, screenshot galleries DO NOT OWN the images they contain! (Unless they are their own 100% original creation and not copied from anywhere.) Anyone providing credits like these needs to get their facts straight.
You are not allowed to put "Copyright (c) Me" on something you upload to the internet if it's mostly made from other people's work.
Getting Permission is Not Difficult
If you can take an hour or so to create a graphic design, wallpaper, blend, etc, surely you can spend 5 minutes sending an email or letter asking permission.
Thank You All!
I wish to thank all the people who do the right thing. And hope that you set a good example for everyone else.
Subscribers: You have permission to display this stamp in your journal! Everyone else: Feel free to +fav and show this stamp anywhere!
Further Reading
As you can see, copyright and artist rights are important to a lot of people:
Very true. And don't forget all those fancy licenses besides full copyright. Just because something has a (cc) (or any other type of license) on it rather than a (c), it's not up for grabs just like that either.