Can I publish photos without permission? [updated]
A few years ago, on one of my old blogs which also was non-commercial, I posted an article about graffiti and included a photo I found in a local Norwegian newspaper. In that article I also gave credit to the source, as you always should do.
That newspaper threatened me with legal action if I did not remove that photo. As mentioned, I had given credit to it by referencing to the source of the photo and I was not making any money from it. Still I had to remove it as I was not in a situation that I had time or money to deal with a possible legal action; which would probably be dismissed in court anyway. Seriously, prosecute a non-commercial blog for using one photo?
Today one of their articles (it is in Norwegian) is about the new animal welfare laws in Norway; and apparently they are using a photo of a cat that has been euthanized. The owner of the cat says that, for reasons not given, they had to euthanize the cat due to some type of eye infection, but she said goodbye before they euthanized it, as she found it too difficult watching her beloved cat die.
The question the reader is, and even I am, asking now is; how can they post this photo without doing a background check or asking the owner if it is okay to use this photo commercially?
Judging by how they have acted in this situation, I need to get permission to use any of their photos, but they can use any photo they like.
I would have included the photo, just in spite, but I am choosing not to in respect of the owner of the cat.
It is amusing watching this media dinosaurs slowly dying out and failing at something they were more or less masters of before. Good riddance if you ask me.
