is it ok to put pictures from wikipedia for my movie reviews?

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   mastergreenposted 11 years ago

   hey guys & especially admins, mods etc
   i specialize in writing movie reviews so i want to ask this. is it ok to take pictures from wiki on any movie that i am writing on and put it on my hub? i did it just now for one of my hubs. is this illegal? i just put the source as wikipedia. is this right? because i write about movies there are no websites that give you pics that dont have a copyright, especially new movies. so then how can i get some pics that dont have copyright because all movies belong to their film companies right? so what is the solution for this one. i would like to put pics to add to the description and to the value of my hub. any suggestions??? pls respond. thank you.

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      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Do you have specific permission to use that photo?  While wikimedia will give that permission and tell you what license and requirements are needed to use it, wikipedia often does not.
      
      Without that specific permission you cannot use it.
      
      How to get permission when it is not given?  Write the owner of the picture and ask for it.  Or go to the theater and take a picture of the poster advertising the movie.  I'd include the frame it is mounted in and explain that it is an advertising poster.

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         mastergreenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         thanks for the info. in the future i can try ur idea. but unless its a big commercial blockbuster they dont normally put posters outside the theatre so majority of the times i wont be able to do it so any other options??? i can see that sometimes inside the pictures information in wikipedia they say copyright belongs to paramount pictures etc. will it be okay if i just say copyright belongs to paramount picture source via wikipedia? bcoz a lot of the movies i have seen in the last couple of years, i dont have any pictures for any of them. so then wat are the other options? sometimes they do have some pictures from google where u can do an advanced search for pictures labelled for commercial re use. is that ok? since i am mainly interested in writing movie reviews are there any other loopholes? there are no images in the public domain for new movies so i dont have any other idea

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            wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            "will it be okay if i just say copyright belongs to paramount picture source via wikipedia"
            
            Will it be OK if I copy your hub verbatim, post it elsewhere on the web, backlink it until it ranks higher than you do in the SERP's and put a little disclaimer at the bottom that I stole it from you without permission?
            
            It is quite possible that you cannot have the photo you want.  When that is the case, don't steal the photo anyway; either write the hub without it or don't write the hub at all.

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               mastergreenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               hmmm.. ok thanks maybe ill just write it without the pics then. or i will have to contact the main companies like WB which i guess is gonna be a giant hassle. well thanks anyway for the info.

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                  wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  You're welcome.

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                     mastergreenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     hey there again, mr wilderness sorry to bother you again like this. but i have been reading about copyrights, legal stuffs and fair usage policy so from what i have read about so far, having one poster about the movie is not really a big problem and since most pics from wikipedia are in low pixels it doesnt really matter that much. as an admin sir do u normally get cease and desist letters a lot? i mean they wouldnt normally go for a lawsuit straightaway right. i can put it down if they want it to be removed. and anyway i login to hubpages as much as i can to see how this blogging thing works so i would know about any such problems as soon as i can. the main problem now is that after 6 months i can apply for google ad sense so would that mean im using the blog for commercial purposes and hence liable for corporate problems? the law is really confusing in these matters. sir do u know of any past examples? film criticism should be excluded from copyright issues right but then again, if pigs could fly....

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                        wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        First, I am not admin, but just another hubber.
                        
                        I don't get cease and desist orders, but then I don't steal the work of others, either.  I have sent out many dozens of such orders to the thieves that steal my work, though.
                        
                        And no, the law is not confusing.  It's pretty plain in that you cannot reproduce the work of others without their permission.
                        
                        I don't see the main problem as being that you can get adsense now; it looks more and more that the main problem is that you are determined to use photos illegally; to steal the work of others in your efforts to earn.
                        
                        So I've said my piece.  It is illegal to use a photo without permission.  It is also unethical and immoral; if none of that bothers you then do as you please.  Neither I nor anyone else can teach ethics to a thief.

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