

Ask HN: Is it legal to show screenshot of other websites ? - rtcoms

I am working on a side project , which require to show screenshots of other website on my website (most probably without their permission).<p>is it legal ? what are the copyright related issue I can face ?
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greenyoda
Assuming that you're in the U.S., you'd need to determine whether your use of
this content satisfies the conditions for "fair use" under copyright law:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use)

If you don't meet the conditions, you'd be infringing on these sites'
copyrights and they could take legal action against you.

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rtcoms
So when people post screenshot of a article (with marker showing what is wrong
with post), does it come under fair usage policy ?

~~~
greenyoda
It depends on factors such as:

\- _" the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a
commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes"_

\- _" the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the
copyrighted work as a whole"_ \- are you showing a screen shot of an entire
article, or just a small excerpt from it.

More on "purpose and character" (from the previously cited Wikipedia article):

 _The first factor is regarding whether the use in question helps fulfill the
intention of copyright law to stimulate creativity for the enrichment of the
general public, or whether it aims to only "supersede the objects" of the
original for reasons of personal profit. To justify the use as fair, one must
demonstrate how it either advances knowledge or the progress of the arts
through the addition of something new. A key consideration is the extent to
which the use is interpreted as transformative, as opposed to merely
derivative._

But if you're concerned with the legality of a business decision, you should
really consult a lawyer.

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patrickfl
Side note / fun fact - I know years ago we got a warning from Google for using
a screenshot of the search engine results (modified, I think it had an arrow)
on our company website.

