So I spend a LOT of time on websites like ‘kisspng’ to find overlays for my story. I spend hours scouring to find the exact overlay I envisioned. Saying that, I have seen a lot of transparent pngs that are free on the web.
Recently, I started hunting down Instagrams and google drives of people who make overlays and backgrounds. After going through like 50 of them, I saw some super talented people making amazing, original work. HOWEVER, I also saw a lot of people who just uploaded a transparent png from websites like kisspng (that I recognized) then claiming it as their own and ADAMENTLY demanding that you follow them on insta, give them credit, etc etc (some of these drives have a rule list with like 10 rules, which is fine to me if it’s your original work, bg’s and overlays are hard to make and take a lot of effort). But, when you are taking it off of a free png website, putting it in the same folder as all your other “original” overlays, then demanding people credit you for it, I’m not sure how I feel about that.
What are your thoughts? Aren’t they technically taking someone else’s work and claiming it as their own? Or are they asking for credit for finding the png on a website? And if that’s what they are doing, should they say “credit me for finding this!” or whatever?
What are your thoughts? Aren’t they technically taking someone else’s work and claiming it as their own?
Yes, but when I uploadd, let’s say 3 dock backgrounds from Pixabay.com which is a free public domain site, I DO NOT ASK FOR CREDIT, cause it isnt my work, lets say if it was in my drive, I put it there just so people can use so they wont have to look for it, cause its right there to use. No credit needed.
Just an example.
Or are they asking for credit for finding the png on a website?
No. I mean its their choice or decision to say credit me, i have no idea.
And if that’s what they are doing, should they say “credit me for finding this!” or whatever?
If I see any overlays from Pixabay.com in their drives and they ask for credit, I am not going to credit them because it isnt theirs. They belong to someone else, I dont think they also require credits, so thats why I get overlays from Pixabay.com and no ones drive that have them in it.
I didn’t want to blatantly state my opinion in the post, because I wanted a wide variety of viewpoints. I have noticed a TON of google drives that have two main folders: Found bg / overlays and Original bg / overlays. Obviously they ask for credit on the originals, but if they just found them on a royalty free site, they’re just helping people out and aren’t expecting credit because it’s not their work. I really like that. But some just have a folder where they put both their ‘original’ work and the stuff they found (supposedly original, if I see one that’s not original and you want credit I am skeptical if any of them are original), then they DEMAND that you follow all their rules to use them in your story and like you HAVE to credit them. Like… I can get this from google. I don’t credit them on stuff I know is from the internet anyway. And I have seen really big creators doing this!
Smh it’s funny how they’ll say don’t steal my work but that’s exactly what they did. Hypocrites I haven’t personally ran across this because I really haven’t searched on ppls drives but the thought of it pisses me off.
It depends on how the image is used… You CAN use an image if it is licensed for reuse (with or without modification) in your own art (This is actually pretty common for many digital artists) and still call it your own art. You can pretty much use any image you wish so long as the new art you create is substantially different (but this will be up to a judge in terms of acceptable alteration or not) It all depends on how you use the image.
“In the United States, infringement of an image’s copyright depends on how the amount and substantiality of the portion used by another person. A judge would need to determine if the change was sufficiently transformative to avoid infringement.”
-David Mullich (video game developer and expert witness to video game infringement lawsuit)
They aren’t being honest thats for sure. It might be free to use but at the end of the day they’re taking a mile of credit when really they just have an inch for finding it. Like congrats you found something on the internet, heres your gold medal!
And theyre making people think they worked so hard on this background when really they just searched for it. Its insulting to people who work hard on original work. At the vey least they should be like “hey i found what youre looking for on x website” also its completely wrong for them to ask for credit. They know darn well theyre making people think they made it. Disgusting clout chasers. Dont they know people can reverse image search? Must be young teens doing this. I hope thats the case because if theyre kids doing it i’d be a tad less mad. (Even though i knew better at that age and so do most people but whatever)
I think it depends on the fact if the person edited the png + how much. If someone totally changes everything up that you can’t see the original png anymore, then I think it is fine at some degree to ask for credit, but just editing two dots or doing nothing in my eyes is claiming stock png’s as yours.
But other than that, I don’t think it is okay to claim free stock images as yours and then demand extra credit for it. Thats shady IMO.
I haven’t personally ran across this because I really haven’t searched on ppls drives but the thought of it pisses me off.