: Legality of screenshot of another website I wanted to write a blog post about a common feature of some popular websites. To illustrate, I'll need to take screenshot, crop and shows the specific

@Rambettina238

Time for a dose of commonsense here, I think. If you want to use any kind of image which is not yours and is not in the Public Domain then the best and wisest course of action is to ASK THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER'S PERMISSION. An affirmative answer puts you unquestionably on the right side of the law!

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@Connie744

Fair use works in USA and every other country that has signed Berne Convention (Every European country has signed it).
It basicly means you can use screenshots in educational purposes and in blog posts with critical reviews of the site.
I have contacted some of the "big" sites asking their written permission to use screenshots for a blog that will be educational (FAIR USE) and also a part of a commercial site (NOT FAIR USE?) and their answer was as expected: "We don't allow the use of our site for commercial purposes."

These sites Terms and conditions state that we aren't allowed to copy and distribute their software, page headers, custom graphics, button icons and scripts without their permission..

Lawyer I contacted believes we are not braking law if we use screenshots of site available to public (non registrated users).

Still not sure what this means for my blog as it is in the grey area of Fair use. For now I will not use screenshots for my blog as it is a part of a commercial site.

If anyone had simmilar experience and has come to a better solution i would appreciate any info.

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney.

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@Courtney195

Yes, it is perfectly legal for you to publish screenshots in an article/blog post that is discussing the content of those images. This is considered to be within fair use doctrine under section 107 of US copyright law, "Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use." Here are the four conditions given that determine fair use:


(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use
is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;

(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to
the copyrighted work as a whole; and

(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of
the copyrighted work


So long as you're not trying to make money off of someone else's work, publishing screenshots for discussion is legally protected free speech (national security issues aside, of course).

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney.

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