Of course, this site is copyrighted - but what is a copyright, and why should you care? And why would I make a point of not using public domain graphics? Am I nuts?

Well, yes... I am. But avoiding public domain graphics does make sense, and here's why:
Almost all of the really cool stuff is protected by copyright, and the only reason you found it on a "public domain" website is that it's stolen.

Q: Hunh? Whuzzat? Stolen?
A: Yes, stolen.

The deal is, no one is going to put all kinds of effort into creating a graphic, and then give it away without any recognition. Some of the folks who are really good at it are even going to want to make money from their work. Of course they aren't going to put it in the public domain. Disney makes too much money on Donald Duck to allow you to download him for free.

Q: But why should I care? It's not like the internet police are going to haul me off to virtual jail!
A: It's basically a matter of economics. If a person doesn't get paid for their work, they stop working. Several of my favorite web artists have pulled their pages from the web because they were tired of seeing their work pop up all over with no credit or pay. Most of these folks weren't even asking for money - just a link to their web sites!

Q: So how can I get some cool graphics without stealing them?
A: Some sites actually do give away free art, generally to promote a commercial site. Some sell it really cheap. And there are many artist's sites which offer web graphics in exchange for a link to their site. My favorite sources are listed on my graphics page. You can also create your own with many different graphics programs, and some web sites will create custom graphics for you.

Related pages

10 Big Myths about copyright explained

The Copyright Website

Copyright & Fair Use

Direct Linking

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