A picture speaks a thousand words – and sometimes even more. So it makes sense that use of imagery in the world of the internet abounds all around us. Beyond the use of a cell phone, the internet is arguably the primary means or medium of communication, and with today’s smartphones, the two are completely intertwined. Certainly the use of images is the whole thrust behind sites like ‘Pinterest’ – share what you like/love/are interested in by “pinning” a picture. And Facebook realized the value of images when it paid $1 Billion+ for Instagram – now every time a photo is “shared” (or uploaded) on Facebook, it becomes a page of advertising. And since we use technology in an unprecedented manner to instantly share an image for free, that’s not a bad investment.
In the internet sense, we use images because they help us communicate, and sometimes (even oftentimes) more effectively than mere writing. Quite frankly, if an image did not have any value on a website, it wouldn’t be used and websites would be havens for bland text. But what about when you are not the source of the image (i.e., what does it mean to use, or copy, an image that you did not take or shoot)? Legally speaking, this is an immediate concern because it is axiomatic in the US that various exclusive rights vest with a person that takes a photo.
