He has a valid point. It was on my mind when I brought it up. The "easy" answers listed are just that. The laws are fuzzy when it comes to "news" and the modern state of social media. I tend to agree that if you didn't take it, or didn't get permission, you shouldn't use it.
I was forwarded this section of the Copyright Law of the USA after that episode by a lawyer who listens to the show and works in... Copyright Law... he seemed to think I should not worry about what I am currently doing.
§ 107 . Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use40
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
Amsterdam
Richfield, MI
