<DIV>Jeff,</DIV>
<DIV>You cannot use anothers copywrited item (of any kind) with out express permission in writing. </DIV>
<DIV>Nancy<BR><BR><B><I>gcfl-discuss@gcfl.net</I></B> wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">On Mon, Jul 19, 2004 at 09:36:54AM -0700, gcfl-discuss@gcfl.net wrote:<BR>> Hey guys I am designing a website & want to have a theme of<BR>> _____. It is more or less at this point a private website right now ( it<BR>> will be open to the public eventually) so to get on with my question<BR>> I'll just use an example. Just say I wanna have a site & my theme would<BR>> be harry potter. Just say I decorate it & everything in harry potter & <BR>> get everything off their website. Is there any law against this? Would<BR>> there be any reason I could not do this? Your comments are appreciated.<BR>> Jeff<BR><BR>By default, if you don't get permission, it's against the<BR>law. Anything on the Internet is automatically copyrighted<BR>by the poster. Even when you post a message on a message<BR>board, it has an implied copyright.<BR><BR>However, there is a
thing called "fair use" that allows<BR>news organizations and others to quote other's work<BR>without permission, but they have to give credit.<BR><BR>Also, if something is deemed to be in the public domain<BR>and not owned by anyone, then it might be used. It really<BR>depends on if there is someone that is willing to take you<BR>to court over it.<BR><BR>Something as famous as Harry Potter that is obviously<BR>copyrighted material is a bad idea. Of course, you could<BR>make the site and then ask the owner. They MIGHT say OK,<BR>but usually they want some money.<BR><BR>I had to learn a lot about all this before releasing the<BR>GCFL CD. DISCLAIMER: I'm not a lawyer, so you should get the<BR>advice of a professional. :)<BR><BR>- John<BR><BR>-- <BR>Parenting is like wallpapering--when you know how you are<BR>finished!<BR><BR>http://GCFL.net (The Good, Clean Funnies List): Good, clean<BR>funnies five times a week, no ads, for
free!<BR>_______________________________________________<BR>GCFL-discuss mailing list<BR>GCFL-discuss@gcfl.net<BR>http://gcfl.net/mailman/listinfo/gcfl-discuss<BR></BLOCKQUOTE>