[xConnie]

I've been reading license agreements and terms of use for stock image websites. Some are short and sweet and so easy to understand but others, not so much.

So what's the difference between 'modifying' an image and 'disassembling' it? If you break up an image into two or more separate images, is that disassembling?

Also, is 'translating' the same as 'saving-as' or 'tracing?' If you downloaded a GIF image and then converted it to a jpg or a vector image would you be in violation of usage terms that include the following verbiage?

You MAY: ... Modify or alter the Image(s) as necessary for your use...

You MAY NOT: ... Reverse engineer, decompile, translate, or disassemble any part of the Image(s).

 

[AustinJeff]

You MAY NOT: ... Reverse engineer, decompile, translate, or disassemble any part of the Image(s).

That makes no sense in terms of images, but makes perfect sense in terms of software. With software, disassembling can mean taking the machine readable code and translating it to human-readable form.

So I googled this phrase, and sure enough it is very common in software licensing agreements. I would guess they are using some kind of broad standard agreement and this just happened to be part of it, even though it doesn't really apply.

You could always contact the company to see what it means from their point of view. Probably nothing.

 

[EntropyGuy]

Are you just trying to find a way to justify using something without paying for it, or are you trying to make sure that you are within the usage rights of an image you have purchased? If you are hijacking images, just don't do it. Pay the artist/photographer for their work. If you are working hard to stay within the licence agreement of a purchased image, call the company you purchased from, and they will usually be helpful.

R.

 

[jlgill]

I've been reading license agreements and terms of use for stock image websites. Some are short and sweet and so easy to understand but others, not so much.

So what's the difference between 'modifying' an image and 'disassembling' it? If you break up an image into two or more separate images, is that disassembling?

Also, is 'translating' the same as 'saving-as' or 'tracing?' If you downloaded a GIF image and then converted it to a jpg or a vector image would you be in violation of usage terms that include the following verbiage?

I think the context in which the images are being sold needs to be taken into consideration. These people are selling images to assist people in making designs, but the sellers don't want to lose all attribution or credit for their contribution to the final work of the tshirt designer.

This is just my opinion, but with regard to disassembling vs. modification, disassembly would mean to me that you are taking the image apart, and using it in another totally unrelated work. i.e. using an outline from an image that was bought as a template for an image you create and subsequently try to claim as your own. Modification would be changing the color or the shape of the image, but still keeping the essential elements the same.

With regard to translating, in my opinion, I don't think saving the image in another format would violate the terms of use. This is done as a matter of course when creating designs and putting them on a tshirt.

I agree with the previous posters who've indicated that the language is taken from software development. In terms of software development, I would think translating would mean taking a program that was built for Windows and making it work with Linux.

I would imagine it's generic language somebody used to try to cover their bases, not knowing that it may not be applicable with regard to image selling.

 

[xConnie]

...You could always contact the company to see what it means from their point of view...

Good idea. Why didn't I think of that? I took your advice - I'll post my findings in a few minutes.

 

[xConnie]

Are you just trying to find a way to justify using something without paying for it, or are you trying to make sure that you are within the usage rights of an image you have purchased?

I think it's wrong to use images (or anything else you don't own) without permission of the rightful owner.

I am just trying to make sure that I fully understand these agreements before I enter into one. I don't want to spend a lot of money only to find out I cannot use the images as I had thought. I'm new to this whole industry and some of the lingo is unclear. Hence my question.

If you are hijacking images, just don't do it. Pay the artist/photographer for their work. If you are working hard to stay within the licence agreement of a purchased image, call the company you purchased from, and they will usually be helpful.

R.

Good tips. Thanks.

 

[xConnie]

I thought it would be slick to buy some stock images to use in T-shirt designs so I was looking into it.

As it turns out, many websites do not allow using the images in that way as I've been led to believe by many a posting here.

I've also discovered that even when they do allow it, some will still not allow sublicensing (which I take to mean, like, cafepress etc.) and do not even allow you to claim copyright ownership of derivative works (though I'm left to wonder if they can really enforce that...).

And some of the legal language is so confusing that you have to read it several times before it makes any sense.

So, when I thought I had finally come across a site with images that I could make use of, I was taken aback by all this 'disassembling' business. I thought it might be a trick.

What I have learned is that while stock images can be found for these purposes, they are not all created equally and you really need to read the usage terms to know what will be allowed.


As for my original question "What is disassembling an image?" - I asked the company to clarify that and this is their response:

I understand that the license agreement terms can be confusing. This statement is referring to the changing of the file information for the images. You are permitted to modify the images as much as you like. You may save the file as any format you like. These types of changes do not affect the actual file information for the image.

I hope this has cleared up any confusion.

Sssoooo 'file information' must be the same as 'file header information' which would probably contain copyright information. Well, that makes sense..

Whew!

 

[AustinJeff]

This statement is referring to the changing of the file information for the images. You are permitted to modify the images as much as you like. You may save the file as any format you like. These types of changes do not affect the actual file information for the image.

Translation: I have no idea what "disassembling an image" means, but my Jedi powers will convince you that this vaguely related information has actually answered your question.

 

[TripleT]

Connie, what kind of images are you looking for? This whole discussion seems overly complicated to me. Some companies do not license their images to be used on commercial products like T-Shirts - but tons of companies do.

You called one company and they gave you their policy - but that does not mean their policy is industry standard.

You buy the licensing rights to an image - or in some cases, you have to buy an "extended licence" in order to print and sell that image on a t-shirt. This happens when you download the image. If the company's licencing agreements are so complicated that the average user can not understand them - IMHO, use somebody else.