Copyright infringement? Posting images on MN.

[AutumnalLeaves38]

Please could someone clarify where MN stands on:

1. Including within a post a (supposedly?) public domain/ "labelled for non-commercial reuse" pic (e.g. from Google Images etc.).

Should it always be credited to original source, or is that bad form as could be regarded as stealth advertising?
For understandable reasons, many MNers are wary of clicking on actual links; it seems images are far preferred.

Does it make a difference if context of using said image is MN social forum chat, and not connected with financial gain or a business?

and

1. Linking to YouTube/Vimeo short clips or music within a post.

Have done both from time to time, but had very conflicting answers from RL friends as to the legalities...Would really appreciate a definitive answer from MNHQ.
TIA.

Hi there AutumnalLeaves38

Thanks for flagging this.

On your first point - if you post any images anywhere on the web that you haven't created yourself, you need to check and abide by their usage rights. These will be different for every image - but if images are labeled with permission granting reuse for non-commercial purposes, personal posts on social forums would usually fall into this category.

On your second point - linking to web pages (including those containing videos) is common practice and doesn't infer ownership.

Thanks for speedy reply, LornaMumsnet

Bit of a minefield, isn't it?

Would never pass an image off as my own work, and think have usually stated in posts "random image from (Google search/ Pinterest/ whatever.)"...

But have also (wrongly I now find ) assumed it was ok to use certain pictures as were very evidently comedy, or from a high-profile company with their own name shown.

I'll now make sure I check their origins/ permission more thoroughly in future.
Very sorry for accidentally contravening MN rules/regs.