Legalities with a tv show site?

They have: 9 posts

Joined: Dec 2003

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had experience with a site dedicated to a television show? I was thinking of creating one to include an episode guide, episode reviews, character guide, etc

I was just wondering if its legal to show screen captures and so forth from the show as long as I specifically say all pictures are copyright Fox, blah blah blah, and also I would also note that this is not an official site.

What do you think, should I invest the time or move on to something else?

Thanks

Jeff
http://www.monyoughfire.com

They have: 344 posts

Joined: Jun 2002

If they're your own screen captures then I'm sure they'd be ok. If they're not your own, then you'd have to ask whoever made them. But usually, if you just give reference to them and you ask them, they'd be ok! Smiling

They have: 9 posts

Joined: Dec 2003

Thanks, I just got an All-In-Wonder card earlier this month and have been busy filling up my hard drive Smiling

I'll probably proceed with the idea and see what kind of traffic I get.

Thanks

Jeff
http://www.monyoughfire.com

Busy's picture

He has: 6,151 posts

Joined: May 2001

I'd be inclined to ask Fox for permission first, the outcome will be either one of two things, an outright NO, or a yes, and who knows they might even give you some stuff to use (info, pictures, bios ...)

One of the biggest things they don't like is for the small fry to be making money off their stuff, so if you are allowed be very careful if you use any sort of advertising, especially if it's their competition

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

This is illegal. Compare it to photocopying parts of a book or magazine and distributing it. Very much illegal. So why should you be able to take screenshots and distribute them on the internet? Still illegal and as Busy said, if you were able to profit from it the production company might raise a fuss.

That said, if you're making up a little non-profit fan site they probably won't bug you about it.

Abhishek Reddy's picture

He has: 3,348 posts

Joined: Jul 2001

Megan, isn't there generally a 10% rule for photocopying and such? That is, an approximate maximum of 10% of a publication can be copied or reproduced (but not sold). Not sure where it is applied, if it is applied at all. I just remember reading it somewhere.

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

Fair use. Meant for critique/review/commentary/parody etc. So, say, in a book review you can quote the book, or in an academic paper you can quote another author and comment on it. Not meant to apply to situations like this, I think and I think this tends to get stickier when it comes to imagery.

http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/index.html

In a fan site you're basing the entire thing on a copyrighted work. Normally there isn't a lot of commentary or criticism. It's simply presenting information about someone else's creation.

When you look at the five points posted in that link there, you would fail all of them except maybe the last one about being "good" or "bad".

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