Another week brings another unfortunate case of an internet site being shut down as a result of copyright quibbles. This time the victim is a fashion and arts blogger who’s had five years’ worth of posts removed by micro blogging platform and social networking site, Tumblr. This was a result of the blog owner using five images without obtaining permission from the photographer. Rather than just removing the copyrighted images, Tumblr took the entire blog down. Although she was not using her blog for a business audience, Tumblr automatically removes anything they receive a valid DMCA complaint for.

It’s all becoming too familiar unfortunately and while it seems extreme, bloggers must realise that taking a picture from the internet without permission is just the same as walking into an art gallery, picking up a painting from the wall, erasing the artists signature and walking out of the shop with it. It’s theft.

There has been a huge clampdown recently, with many angry photographers rebelling through this petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49422  We’ve signed it, have you?

Read the full story here: http://blog.hubspot.com/tumblr-erases-popular-blogger-copyright-infringement-blogging-fea

Image courtesy of © Csdani | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images