tarotprose-reblogs:

green-faerie:

tarotprose-reblogs:

forestlore:

Artwork you find on pinterest, instagram, tumblr, google images, facebook, etc., etc. are likely still under copyright protection. This means that it is the legal intellectual property of the artwork’s creator. Even when artwork is not registered with the copyright office(which can be very time consuming and expensive for artists), it belongs to the artist once the work is brought into tangibility.  Quoting from the copyright.gov website, art is considered copyright protected from “the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.” 

So what does this mean for you? Unless you have found artwork on a royalty free website or an archive of public domain works, artwork you find online is not there for your use in any way other than viewing it and appreciating it. This means you cannot print it out and hang it on your wall, you cannot copy it, you cannot use it for your branding or merchandise, and you certainly cannot sell it or profit it from it in any way, UNLESS you have written consent  or contact from the original artist. 

The law is still trying to catch up with the rapidly growing tattoo industry, but artwork you find online is not there for you to take to your local tattoo guy to put on your body. Working artists often have their art used as tattoos and they never see a penny from it, whilst the tattoo artist can make hundreds from it. So if you find artwork online and you would like to have it tattooed, track down the artist and ASK FOR PERMISSION! If you can’t find out who the artist is, don’t get the tattoo, plain and simple. Tattoo artists should also know better than to tattoo artwork that their client brings in without knowing where the art came from and that they have the artist’s consent. If you appreciate an artist’s work enough to get it tattooed on your flesh, make a purchase from or donation to the original artist to show your support for the magic they bring into this world. This is just good etiquette! 

If you share someone else’s artwork online, ALWAYS give credit and a link to the artist if they have one. This is not only good etiquette, it’s the absolute right thing to do. Plagiarism doesn’t only apply to writing, it applies to art as well, and it is illegal. 
Please, please, please, be kind and support artists.

If you want to keep seeing art online, don’t give artists reasons to keep their art locked away from the world.  Our work is our blood and spirit and having experienced my own work stolen numerous times, tattooed without permission more times than I can count, and lost to the abyss of the internet, I know from experience, it feels like a deep violation and it is sickening. Just be a good human and, if you love the art, be considerate and supportive of the artist who brought it before your eyes.

Also do not upload images on Pinterest and then link it to your own website. I didn’t know this was possible until I saw many of my original photos linking to someone’s reading services!  And here is a legit example of what me and legal do every Monday. Sending out DMCA take downs. Each report has to manually be put in. There are sometimes hundreds a week. -_-

@tarotprose-reblogs Hey there, I’m not trying to be snarky when saying this, and I’m wondering then how you agree with the original post but then I guess infringe on copyrights on your main blog when you post pictures of tarot cards other have created? 

The copyright government website defines copyright infringement as such, “Copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner.” Do you see what I mean?

I feel like as long as credit is given to the artist, similarly to how you do, then sharing art not for profit (basically what this entire website is…) should be fine. And when it comes to tattoos, I think that as long as you tell the artist where the art is from if they ask and credit that artist when displaying the tattoo then its fine. Against copyright regulations, but those are my morals on that part of the topic. 

@green-faerie I do not see this as being snarky at all but would like to correct some misinformation about the way I run my blog. 

I do not infringe on any deck creator or major publishing house’s copyright at all on my blog. You mentioned that I post pictures with tarot cards created by others and I wanted to break down my process. 

When I first started my blog, there was a a huge Tarot community wide issue where deck publishers were forbidding content creators like myself from posting any photos on social media of cards unless a fee was paid. This put many content creators in a bind because like myself, many tarot readers used photos of their cards for daily card pulls, to showcase spreads they have done, and to even provide a client with a photograph of the cards pulled in a free reading. The Tarot community of social media created change by voicing their opinions to the deck publishing houses. The issue was resolved and almost all major deck publishing houses retracted their original statements and allowed for decks and cards to be used in photography for non commercial use on social media. One of the main rules was to credit the decks and to not use any deliberate scans of the cards, and sell any merchandise of the artwork. A majority of the Tarot community was already following these guidelines anyway, myself included.  While this was happening though, I took it upon myself to seek out permissions from every single deck creator and publisher within my whole deck collection. I now have an extensive list of written permission of all the deck creators and publishers that have granted me permission to use their cards on my blog, alongside their respective rules and regulations for doing so. You may find that list HERE. 

Now when it comes to copyright, the deck creators continue to own the rights to the card art of the deck and I do not claim nor allude to being the owner of the artwork. I have written this very statement on my blog Copyright page. I do however own the copyright to my stylized photographs and any of the accompanying text, poetry and prose that goes along with my photograph. Each one of my complete works; photo and written piece is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office quarterly. Also my blog as it currently stands is a non commercialized entity. 

As a content creator myself, I reserve the right to how I want my content shared and who is able to share it. So do artists. I make a part of my living through my photography and writing and if someone is using my work without my permission, they are jeopardizing that livelihood.  If my photo is used to promote someone else’s online shop without my permission, I have every right to legally take it down. Not only could this cause brand confusion, but it could make it seems as if I endorse said shop, if I am working with said shop or in some cases that the shop is mine. If the shop is scamming people, it could potentially ruin the hard work I have built simply because the image is mine and the practices are of someone else’s.  If someone is utilizing my poetry or prose to sell a book without my permission, I have every right to want it taken down. If someone is using my photo to link back to something NSFW or spammy, I have the right to have it taken down. I am a firm believer that permission is the first step. I have done and continue to do my due diligence by asking deck creators and publishing houses for permission to use their decks on my blog. I also have a DMCA form that is looked over by my legal team for those who wish to no longer want me to use their decks on my blog. I think without the written permission from the copyright holder or owner, using someone else’s work is wrong even if you are giving credit. The copyright owner should have the right to decide how their content is shared, how it shouldn’t be shared, etc. 

I hope this answers your concerns.