Risk Management for Nonprofits: Copyright
When web designers have an email from another nonprofit saying they don’t mind if you use one of their images, are you ok to use the image?
When is it okay to use someone else’s intellectual property?
Your nonprofit is building a website. The web designer finds a great image that embodies your nonprofit’s mission exactly.
The web designer downloads the image from a website of a nonprofit that does similar work, and the other nonprofit has provided an email saying they don’t mind if you use the image.
True or false: Based on this you are free to use the image with no risk of being sued for intellectual property infringement.
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About the Author
Chris Reed is Chief Risk Officer and General Counsel for Nonprofits Insurance Alliance (NIA), in Santa Cruz, CA. He is an experienced corporate attorney and business advisor, with expertise in corporate matters, contract law, all aspects of IP law, employment law, and insurance. He is an experienced investigator, having worked for the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation.
Articles on Blue Avocado do not provide legal representation or legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for advice or legal counsel. Blue Avocado provides space for the nonprofit sector to express new ideas. The opinions and views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect or imply the opinions or views of Blue Avocado, its publisher, or affiliated organizations. Blue Avocado, its publisher, and affiliated organizations are not liable for website visitors’ use of the content on Blue Avocado nor for visitors’ decisions about using the Blue Avocado website.
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