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Have you noticed that most web sites have photographs and other graphics on them?  Did you know that those photographs and graphics belong to someone else and are therefore copyrighted?

Unless the images you want to use on your web site or advertising are your own work then you need to consider copyright laws and license agreements.  A license agreement might mean that you have to purchase a license to use an image on your web site or it might be as easy as asking the copyright owner if you can use it.

If you don't have an agreement to use the image on your web site, advertising brochure or other medium, then you are breeching copyright laws and could face court proceedings - resulting in a fine that might cost you your house.

Two examples of a copyright breech, locally in 2007;
A Batemans Bay Real Estate Agency beleives that stealing other peoples photographs for use in their own advertising is ok.  Burdett Real Estate has breached the copyright laws and then cried foul when caught by the legitimate copyright owner.  They were stupid enough to say "you prove we stole it" and tried good old big bully tactics.  Idiots!  They wouid be jumping up and down if someone stole something that belonged to them.
A Narooma charter boat operator (unsure which one otherwise we would name them here) has used a local photographers images for advertising without getting appropriate permission.  Stealing images is a crime and you must get permission from the owner before using any photographs for any purpose.
Both of these examples really happened and in the case of the Real Estate Agent - they did know better but were hoping they wouldn't get caught.  As it turns out they agreed to pay a small fee (which never got paid as far as we know) but were very rude and abusive about it.

If you want to use photographs and nice graphics on your web site you need to be sure that you are allowed to - legally!  Copyright laws are very important and by breeching them you may be depriving someone of their income.  Breeching copyright law is stealing!  You wouldn't hesitate to prosecute someone if they stole something valuable from you, well there is no difference with copyright laws.

We are not obliged to monitor the content of your web site, however, if we are made aware of an image or content that breeches copyright laws we will remove it without notice.

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