Copyright

[Shadowcaster]

Just a quickie question, my other half makes cards as a hobby and I was wondering if I could make some screen shots for her to decoupage for her cards. The cards are not for sale, she makes them for friends and family and does group activities for the Silver Circle.

Cheers
Rich

[Apex]

Are you asking "Can I use MS or other sim's screen shots for this?" Slightly unclear as to the exact question there, but if that's it, I'd be interested in the answer. If not for profit, it could be a "Who's gonna know?" thing. There may not be an exact answer, it's kinda a shade of gray since it's unusual and may not even be covered by copyright laws. Consider this: Each screen shot is kinda an original that YOU create. But there's the issue of the software licensing. Then again, the software could be analogous to a camera, the camera makers don't restrict or control what you can photograph or how any photo is used.

[Sinkrate]

I suppose a Lawyer would say that any image derived from a software product is the intellectual property of the developers and you would need their permission in some form to be able to use it outside of the software package. Having said that, has everyone who has uploaded MSFS images to this site obtained permission from Mickey? I sure haven’t!

Personally, not being in any way a lawyer, I’d say screw Mickey and do what you like; you bought it – it’s yours!

[jphespe]

Glad someone asked this question. I too, have a great many screen shots that I have saved and have wondered if I could use them at craft shows for profit. I think the copyright issue might be further clouded by any special effects and formats applied to the shot, such as converting the image to a watercolor or oil painting format. I agree with the previous post, screw Mickey. If he can show that he has produced an identical image to mine then he can try and sue me.

Jim

[Apex]

I Googled this:

'copyright screenshots'

And a bunch of stuff came up, including this:

https://lifehacker.com/193343/ask-the-l ... s-fair-use

This might give some answers on a legal level. I didn't bother to read it through, got better things to do, like watching paint dry, but it looks informative.

My take on this subject is to do your homework first, esp if selling anything for profit. Sure, "Who's gonna know?", but then, "Ya never know who's gonna know" is also out there.

[Shadowcaster]

Thanks for all the replies chaps, I had a feeling that it was not straight forward and open to a lot of different interpretations. As we would be doing it "not for profit" I think we'll be OK ish.


Cheers
Rich