May I use this site?

[Trixy]

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73...

I believe I might have found the correct cover for this little book, but I'm unsure if I'm allowed to use it. I understand Amazon is not legal, but below is another site that sells books so I don't know if this rule still applies.

http://www.betterworldbooks.com/the-s...

Apologies if this question has become too redundant, I'm new to being a "librarian" and just want clarification before I make any changes. Thanks!

[rivka, Former Moderator]

No, Better World Books is a bookseller and may NOT be used as a source of book data.

Thanks for checking!

[Nenangs]

afaik, any bookseller's site is not acceptable as cover pic source.

[Trixy]

Thank you!

[Trixy]

I have one more question, since I'm still a little confused regarding cover images.

Can I not just save the image to my computer and upload it from there? In that case, how would the image source even be known?

:) Thanks in advance!

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Caitlin wrote: "Can I not just save the image to my computer and upload it from there?"

That's what one does in all cases. But images have invisible coding in them that is identifiable.

[Trixy]

rivka wrote: "Caitlin wrote: "Can I not just save the image to my computer and upload it from there?"

That's what one does in all cases. But images have invisible coding in them that is identifiable."

I see. I wasn't aware an image could be traced to it's original source after being saved and re-uploaded!

Thanks for all your help!

[Tntexas]

Just out of curiosity, what about book covers from a regular Google image search? For instance, when I do a regular image search for the title in question, one of the images I get is linked to Amazon. However when I right click on the image and then click on "open image in another tab", it takes me to an image that does not appear to be linked to Amazon - there is no Amazon symbol on the tab, just a little blue circle. Is it ok to use images like that since the image is apparently coming from Google's servers themselves and not Amazon?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

No images are coming from Google (unless you find them on Google Books, and sometimes not even then). They are coming from other sites (like Amazon, in your example), and the usual rules apply.

[Tntexas]

rivka wrote: "No images are coming from Google (unless you find them on Google Books, and sometimes not even then). They are coming from other sites (like Amazon, in your example), and the usual rules apply."

Ok. I wasn't aware of that. I thought the pictures were being hosted somewhere on Google's servers themselves and since the little tab didn't have an Amazon symbol on it that it would be ok. Now I know otherwise. :o)

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Even if it were true, the image would still have come from Amazon and be under their legal purview.

But for Google to be storing every single image it brings up in a search on their own servers would take a mind-boggling amount of server space. And their servers only achieve very impressive, not mind-boggling. ;)

[Tntexas]

rivka wrote: "Even if it were true, the image would still have come from Amazon and be under their legal purview.

But for Google to be storing every single image it brings up in a search on their own servers would take a mind-boggling amount of server space. And their servers only achieve very impressive, not mind-boggling. ;) "

LOL at your last statement. I guess my ignorance about computers, servers, and necessary space is pretty evident. :o)

Your first statement does raise a question for me though. Let's assume for the minute that my assumption was correct. How does what you say about that (fictional) situation affect pictures found on blogs? Pictures that appear to be hosted there on the site and aren't hyperlinked (hotlinked? borrowed from?) Amazon? My understanding is that pictures like that are ok to use here at Goodreads. But what if they originally came from Amazon? Does that affect the situation and how would someone find out if that were the case?

[Tntexas]

Adrianna wrote: "Anyone that uses an image without permission is at risk for copyright infringement. It's a chance that some people are willing to take. If the 'user' is not profiting from the use of the image in anyway, a lot of times people look the other way...or they just don't know. However, assume your book get's 'famous' and on the cover is an image that does not belong to you, or one that you have not had permission to use. What then? The owner of the image would have the right to take you to court and make your life miserable.

You should safeguard yourself, it's the smart thing to do. Again, use only images that belong to you or images that you have permission to use."

Obviously you couldn't just pull a picture from the Internet, use it as the cover of a book and then proceed to sell the book; but I thought there was some kind of fair use law for book cataloging situations like Goodreads? Something like the law that allows you to quote a certain portion of a copyrighted work?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

We do allow images from blogs, but it's true that we don't know where those images have been. (So don't put them in your mouth. Or was my mom the only one who said, "Don't put that in your mouth. You don't know where it's been!")

However, many blogs get their covers from the book directly (no problem) or from the publisher (also no problem) or from the author site (still no problem).

Personally, I do check to see if the cover on a blog is hotlinked somewhere else, and if it hotlinks to a bookseller, don't use it.

[Tntexas]

Adrianna wrote: "I'm so sorry, I thought you were talking about 'designing your cover'....silly me! I'll butt out now! Good luck!"

No problem, Adrianna. I can't tell you how many times I've thought one thing was being talked about only to discover it wasn't. Way more than I care to remember. :o)