Can I get sued for my hub?

1. 70

   Faybe Bayposted 8 years ago

   Okay here's the deal. I only have the pictures that came with the computer, plus what freebies I could scavenge from the internet. I have finished my Saint Patrick's Day hub and I want to make sure I'm doing everything legal.
   I have given credit for any research and hopefully all the rest is fair game.
   
   here it is, if it's wrong then I have work to do on all my hubs.
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Im-Irish-Do-I-H … Wear-Green

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2. 69

   Flightkeeperposted 8 years ago

   Hi Faybe, suing seems kind of drastic to me.  If anyone finds anything really offensive I believe they'd contact you first and discuss it from there.

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      Faybe Bayposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Okay, it's not offensive, I just read about owning the rights to photos and giving credit and I don't want to mess this up.

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         Flightkeeperposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Oh
         I think if it wasn't attributed properly they'll ask you to take it off or correct it.  I thought your hub was a lot of fun.  And no, I don't think you have to wear green and if they pinch you, just shoot em
         
         I also have Celtic Woman's Danny Boy on my St. Patrick's hub.  Now I just found out from Valerie that Danny Boy might not be completely Irish. Was I stymied when she wrote that.

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3. 81

   darksideposted 8 years ago

   Avoiding copyright infringement is more than just providing a credit. Permission must be given. That permission could even be that you don't need to give credit, but it still needs to be expressly applied to you.
   
   I suggest using www.sxc.hu, www.morguefile.com and www.freerangestock.com and there will be other sites that fellow hubbers can recommend.
   
   At a glance I think one problem you have is you are using small images which have to stretch to fill the half toggle width capsule, which is why they look pixelated.
   
   For me a pixelated image on any webpage makes it look cheap and nasty.

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4. 0

   Brenda Durhamposted 8 years ago

   Sorry, but I have no idea if there's anything wrong with it!
   
   I simply enjoyed the hub! 

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      Steve 3.0posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Some of the microstock sites have free sections.  Try fotolia or dreamstime.  I sell my photos, so don't like to see people using them without buying a license.  Some sites sell them for under $1 for blog size photos.  I do realize that most people here wont want to pay a small fee to use a photo but perhaps if it improves a hub, it would be worth it? 
      
      It would be great if hubpages let photographers upload photos that hubbers could use for a tiny fee.  Perhaps something they should look in to?

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5. 67

   ThoughtfulSpotposted 8 years ago

   Just jumping in to follow the thread.  Thanks for posting Faybe... good images w/o copyright worries have been a challenge for me.

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6. 87

   IzzyMposted 8 years ago

   I thought from the title of this thread that the question would be about writing about someone!
   I'm kinda wondering about the ability to sue online, because I have a blog in which I don't mince my words about what I think of the local mayor (among others) and the corruption they are involved in.
   The big newspapers here have covered stories where this guy has been involved in some very shady dealings over buying and selling land but no-one has openly accused him of anything that has sent him to court.
   Yet I may have done...
   Is that illegal?

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   1. 67

      ThoughtfulSpotposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I'm no lawyer, but I'd do some reading up on "slander" and "public defamation."  It is a noble thing to expose corruption, but can certainly be a risky endeavour as well.  I'm not sure what the legalities are, but I'm sure someone involved in the government (he would have resources available) and who doesn't seem to be the straightest arrow to boot could certainly cause you some trouble if he felt that you were doing enough to injure his reputation, public or private.  Good luck to you, and kudos for being brave enough to bring attention to a corrupt fellow.  As I said, perhaps just do your research... there are certainly regulations (depending on your country of origin) protecting various freedoms and expressions and also regulating for the person who is being written about.  Perhaps it would be something as simple as a statement explaining that the article is the author's conjecture... You never know, and if there is an easy way to protect yourself, why not do so?
      Good luck.

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         IzzyMposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for replying
         I dunno, I reckon so long as I don't mention his actual name - only his position - and put question marks and suggestions in peoples minds rather than an outright accusation.
         It's all true what I write anyway. This place is so corrupted it is unbelievable. We even have  neighbouring mayor up in court for the murder of his predecessor!
         Anyway he doesn't speak English!!

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            ThoughtfulSpotposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            That's terrible!  "Such crazy peoples" as my great grandmother would have said.

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      William F. Torpeyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not a lawyer either, IzzyM, but as a retired newspaperman in the U.S. I would advise you to be sure, at least, to avoid stating outright that anyone did something illegal. Whenever you are saying something that could be defamatory to any individual you should say that the wrongdoing is "alleged." Public figures, such as mayors, can be criticized with less concern about being sued, but it is wise nevertheless to be careful about accusing anyone of a crime. Anyone can sue anytime, but whether they could win the suit is a different matter. Some, however, understand that the threat of a lawsuit, or even filing a lawsuit, can cause great difficultly for party being sued. I know a lawyer who once told me it only costs him a few dollars to file a lawsuit (so he would file one at the drop of a hat.) Caution is the byword.

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         IzzyMposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks William for your insight. I think I'm OK in what I have written so far...

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   Sufidreamerposted 8 years ago

   Darkside has given some good sites for images.
   
   What I tend to do is use the creative commons search in the top right of the Firefox toolbar. This gives you images that are either in the public domain, or are usable if you credit the author and include a link to the Creative Commons licensing agreement.
   
   Have a look, and you should be able to find some good Ireland-related images
   
   It is unlikely that anybody will sue you for using images, but it is polite to check the licensing - as writers, we understand how irritating it is when somebody passes off your work as their own.

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8. 70

   thisisoliposted 8 years ago

   The images that come with your computer are fine to use, there are also plenty of royalty free images out there to use!
   
   In any case, if anyone does contact you regarding copyright violation ofa picture, they will most likely just ask you to remove the image, rather than jump straight to suing you.

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