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  1. #1
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    Copyright infringement?

    I know it's illegal to go to Dell's website and clip an image of a server to use on your site, But suppose I own a Dell server and take a picture of it myself and use it in the background of a logo i'm creating. Is that copyright infringement? I have a really sweet idea for a client's logo and the image already taken, but I wouldn't want my client to get a notice of infringement after I bill him...I don't think they'd like that too much. It's not a blatant "hey this is a dell server" type image...as far as anyone would know, it's just a computer.

    What do you think?
    John DeLutri
    President - Lightning Technologies, Inc.

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  2. #2
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    Ask Dell.. they will soon tell you.

    http://www.dell.com/us/en/gen/misc/p...007_policy.htm

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
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    I was wondering this myself, because I want to get a nice digital camera and take some shots to upload to istockphoto.com, but I was worried about the same thing.

    Example, can I take a picture of my car and upload it for others to download?

  4. #4
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    Mekhu, that's legal.

    To the thread starter, just take a pic of one of your servers . Saves you some trouble.

  5. #5
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    That's my point...my servers are Dell servers. If I take a pic of one of my servers was the original question.....I went to dells website and all the talk about is stuff from their site...not pictures I take of dell equipment I already own.
    John DeLutri
    President - Lightning Technologies, Inc.

    Web hosting is simple math: Fast+Reliable+Service=Happy Customer

  6. #6
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    No, its 100% legal.

    You own the equipment, so if you take a picture of it, YOU own that intellectual property.

    Now if you went into Dell's datacentre and took pictures, that might be a different story.
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  7. #7
    Agreed perfectly legal for you to photograph the server and use your own creation so long as it is not an apparent attempt to recreate the image of another.
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  8. #8
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    Thanks guys, much appreciated.
    John DeLutri
    President - Lightning Technologies, Inc.

    Web hosting is simple math: Fast+Reliable+Service=Happy Customer

  9. #9
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    The copyright on a picture is applied to the image itself, not the objects inside. What's being protected is the photographer's choice of light, angle...etc, so any picturre *you* take is your own work, regardless of what's in it.

    Dell's online policy applies to the pictures taken by their photographers...not what's in them.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    Tho when dealing with Dell in a legal way, one should also be careful. I know an employee who refers to their legal department as 'that place with the man-eating sharks'.

  11. #11
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    The problem with that is if you take a picture of a dell server and the dell logo appears in the picture where are you placed then as you have a registered trademark of another company in your picture?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    Dell spends $100,000's a year for product placement in movies and TV shows/etc, and millions more I bet on plain old advertising.

    I'd wager as long as you aren't trying to infer that you ARE Dell, or you have a deal with Dell, or you and Dell are business partners, etc, they probably wouldn't mind the free publicity..

    You should probably ask them, tho.

  13. #13
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    Jan 2002
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    Charlotte, NC
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    Yep, you shouldn't have a problem at all if you take the photo yourself. Guess I learned something in college afterall

    Jason
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  14. #14
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    I'd suggest airbrushing out the Dell logos on the picture you take.
    J. Paul Schmidt
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  15. #15
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    Originally posted by Bullschmidt
    I'd suggest airbrushing out the Dell logos on the picture you take.
    That's a good idea, being as I don't care that it's a dell server. I just needed a server type machine to have in the image.
    John DeLutri
    President - Lightning Technologies, Inc.

    Web hosting is simple math: Fast+Reliable+Service=Happy Customer

  16. #16
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    Aug 2001
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    Thanks for answering my questions guys!

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