Regarding Art Theft

question. my avie is made by a mlp doll maker do i need to only link the site its from? i wanna make sure edit: i ended up finding the creator on deviantart so i linked it to there even though she said credit is not necessary but i guess proof is needed.

"I feel as though both of those links should be included on the front post of this topic" Sadly, I'm using my phone right now (I'm at work), so I can't quote this properly. In short, they will be added to the first post when I go home on my dinner break, if no other member of staff beats me to it. I also have a link to share, which shows this issue from an artist who had to deal with their art being stolen.

I know that app. It makes OC's which are meant to be used by you. I think it counts as your own work.

Whoa, that is too wrong CutePichu. Did you draw all the mane styles? or code any of it? It's not easy to make games with so many options, so the creator of the maker still needs to be credited. You can, however, take credit for the Char. as an OC. Guys, if the art is not official; like pokemon sprites, then it needs to be credited. This includes; Dress-ups Makers Altered Sprites (like what you order from a sprites shop) OC designs (like my Avi, Void. He was drawn by Tobais, but I made him up-gave him all his looks. If Tobais wanted to but that img on DevantArt, he would have to ask me and credit me the idea of Void. The art it's self is still his)

Ok ok. It was a mistake. I should go read that thing eltafez found...

And this is why we're doing it. We're not doing it to 'be strict' or make things difficult for people. In this day and age we have to cover every single thing we could be shut down/sued/legally harassed for, no matter the difficulty or how much it might upset people. Think before you assume something is leveled at you. I'm not saying this to anyone specific, but I'm saying it in general; this is not done to make things difficult, this is done to make sure we can stay up.

I know this is likely going to be a very dumb question but I just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing, for Pokesona's I know everyone adds things like wings and other stuff to them, would the spriter in charge of making that pokesona have to get permission to use all the wings ect and give credit to them when they give it to the person who ordered that pokesona?

Thank you Eltafez, This website was mentioned in one of the explanation posts you referenced too; it's called tineye Guys if you're having trouble finding the actual source then use this! I've given it a few test runs myself! Lookit! Step1: I found this action shot that belongs to the creators of Dark Souls so; NAMCO BANDA is the owner of the copyright. But let's say I had no idea who actually made this image; what Dark Souls is and where it came from. Image I'm using derp Step2. I've grabbed the URL of the image, or in my case saved it! Step3. ???? Nah, I'm kidding. Run the search! Step4. Look at that Tineye has found duplicates of the image and as you can see it has been used on many websites; websites that are trusted sources who do proper sourcing! From there on I was able to deduct what the game is, where it came from and who made it and if it's available by the free rights law; aka free to use 'with limits of course'.

A useful thing with TinEye is that it has a "sort by:" section next to the search results. If for example you have a lower quality image, you can select "biggest image" there, and it'll show you any higher resolutions. It shows you "best match" by default. The only reason I don't use TinEye is that it takes a while to load new searches for me. Another site that can be used for finding sources that a lot of people don't realize can be used for this is google. It's what I use for finding sources. To do that, you just go to google images and click this icon: Then you can copy & paste the direct link to the image, or upload the image from your computer (same as with TinEye).

[quote=Ravyne]Since it appears to be an ongoing problem that begets an announcement, here is one. [center][b][i]Beginning April 9, 2014 ([datetime]April 9, 2014[/datetime]) the RP setup forums will be closely monitored for art theft, and any cases found will be punished accordingly.[/i][/b][/center] This means that if it isn't gone by that date, you're gone, end of story. Two weeks is given so more inactive users have time to log in and see this. Yes, this is a hardline take on it, but look at it like this. Posting art without a source (or, all forbid, claiming you made it) is [b]theft[/b], plain and simple. You're taking an artist's work, their effort and their time, and telling them "No, this is mine now." Either that, or "It isn't worth my effort to ask you permission." You're literally stealing something from someone. How is that okay? Answer: it isn't. So, on to what's going to happen and more importantly, what you can do. [hr] [center][b]If you're using art that isn't yours without proper source attribution.[/b] Remove the offending piece immediately. If you still wish to use it, read the 'Proper Source Attribution' section. [b]If you're using art that isn't yours with something like "Credit to the artist" or sourcing sites such as any of the *boorus or weheartit and so on (archive sites).[/b] Remove the offending piece immediately. If you still wish to use it, read the 'Proper Source Attribution' section. [b]If you're using art that was created for you.[/b] Provide a link to the person's page that created it (if on PF) or to the person's page on the original site (if not on PF). We [i]will[/i] check these. [b]If you're using art that is yours.[/b] Provide a link next to the image (if posted in a forum post) or in your signature (if an avatar) with a link to the original place you posted the art. If neither of these exist (as in if the art was made specifically for PF and not posted anywhere) simply claim yourself as the artist. However, remember that claiming this when you aren't the owner (claiming ownership falsely) will result in a permanent removal from the site.[/center] [hr] [center][h3]Proper Source Attribution[/h3][/center] If you still wish to use art that isn't yours, then there's a series of steps you need to follow. [ol] [li][b]Finding Image Source[/b][/li]Many resources exist to find the source of an image. [url=http://www.tineye.com/]Tineye[/url] and [url=http://saucenao.com/]SauceNao[/url] are the two most popular. Simply upload the file from your computer (or provide the image URL in Tineye's case) and the site will display all places the image is used. If these fail to bring up any places the image is used, then it's time to look manually. [i]If you still can't find it, don't use the image at all.[/i] [li][b]Asking Permission[/b][/li]After finding the artist's original gallery or site, find their contact information and contact them regarding permission to use one of their pieces. Feel free to link to PFQ, if you wish. Some artists aren't as active as others; it's wise to not post the image until you receive permission rather than posting and saying you're waiting on permission. [li][b]Attribution Example[/b][/li]After contacting the artist and receiving permission, now it's time to properly attribute. Simply take a screenshot (if you don't know how to take a screenshot, firstly welcome to the 21st century and secondly [url=http://q.pokefarm.org/forum/thread/3150/Basic-PC-Screenshot-Guide]read this[/url]) of the PM, note, email, or whatever, and link to it right under the image. Or above, or to the right, it really doesn't matter. For example, see below. [hide=Source Attributation Example] [img]http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/055/3/1/ravyne_by_seiyena-d77v46w.png[/img] Source: [url=http://seiyena.deviantart.com/art/Ravyne-436472312]Seiyena on DeviantArt[/url] ([url=http://i.imgur.com/kERJkOP.png]used with permission[/url])[/hide] It's that simple. [/ol][/quote] Is this okay? A friend on deviantart made it for me:3 It's a picture of my fan character on the bottom of my post:3 [url=http://th06.deviantart.net/fs70/200H/f/2013/319/e/7/demonlouie_gift_by_mirrorshardkoopa-d6ud5pg.png&IP=192.168.170.212&CAT=EXART&USER=RADACCT-192.168.170.212&CE=0:3]MirrorShardKoopa On Deviantart (I had his or her permission to upload this)[/url]. This person made it:3