[Teachldsseminary] Using picture off internet

[David Price]

	Yes -- using the picture is a **big** boo boo. The artwork is
copyrighted by its creator and may not be printed or saved in any format on
your computer without written permission of that artist. 
	The fact that art appears in the Ensign is **not** a release of
copyright to the whole world. The church pays the artist for the right to
use it, and so should we. The absence of a copyright statement also does not
release it for general use.
<<<Rant coming.>>>
	This is important for several reasons:
1. The artist has a right to control how, where, when his/her art is used.
2. The artist has a right to generate personal income from his/her work.
3. We believe in honoring, obeying and sustaining the law. Using artwork
without permission is theft.
4. The Holy Ghost does not support unethical use of artwork, making our
"special" picture/drawing/clipart use in vain. We may think the spirit is
there, but we're being deceived. There is a law irrevocably decreed in
heaven regarding the holy spirit and theft.
5. Students learn by our "cheating" the system that it is okay to use
material without permission or acknowledgement. -- This is where I come in. 
	As a college teacher who has to constantly deal with students
committing plagiarism (both textual and visual), it is heartbreaking to tell
a student they fail a class because they did what their friends, parents --
and in this case, seminary teacher -- does. You can't just copy stuff off
the Internet and claim it's okay.
	The church has clear declarations in several places prohibiting the
illegal use of artwork. Bottom line: Don't do it!
<<<End of ranting. Sorry if I offended anybody.>>>
	Note: I did not check out the specific case mentioned in the email
below. My comments above are intended to speak generally, not specifically.

David Price
Mt. Pleasant IA
-- no longer teaching EMS, but loving the list anyway.

>I went to the August 1992 Ensign that Michele pointed out, and read the
>description of the illustration at the bottom.  The artist is Robert T.
>Barrett, and so I did a Google on him and he has a website in which all of 
>his artwork is displayed.  The picture you are talking about is there.  I'm
>guessing because it was in the Ensign that it would be okay to use?  Unless

>of course there is a statement that expresses specifically that image 
>cannot be used.  I don't know.  Would that text be included in the online
>version of that Ensign?  I'm thinking it would, so that it must be "safe" 
>to copy under the guidelines in the front of the Ensign.  I hope I'm not
>making a boo boo here...