Video copyrights and GIFs. If i take some cells from a movie & make a GIF, how much can i show & remain legal?
Question by someasshat: Video copyrights and GIFs. If i take some cells from a movie & make a GIF, how much can i show & remain legal?
I have heard some on some TV shows, they can sometimes only show about 3 seconds of a movie to avoid copyright infringement. I want to make GIFs from movies (like a looping slow-mo punch to the face). They usually only last a few seconds, and considering its only using a few cells from the movie, its not even close to 3 seconds of ‘real time’ video. I am only using this for forum avatars and personal use, no money exchanges at all, only for fun, but posted various places on the internet. You think I can do this without any harrassment? Would that be considered ‘fair use’?
Best answer:
Answer by Justin H
Technically, you can’t use any copyrighted material for personal use without permission from the copyright holder. However, the purpose you’re talking about is not likely to raise any red flags.
There are fair use provisions to copyright laws, but those usually pertain to using the materials for educational purposes.
EDIT
Don’t confuse the limited licensing rights granted when you purchase a DVD with fair use laws. When you purchase or rent a DVD, pay for a Pay-Per-View, or pay for a download from a service like iTunes, you are paying for a limited license to view the movie. But this does not give you any ownership of the material nor does it give you the right to use it for public exhibition.
Information about “fair use” from the US Copyright office: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
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