Blogging is meant to be fun. But recently I’ve received several notifications of photographs infringing copyright. Some copyright owners have been exceptionally nice about it, and offered to to permit us to use the photos for a credit. Which I’d be happy to do, in all instances, if the photos were watermarked accordingly! My problem is that many photos are cropped, then re-used elsewhere, and I’ve no way of knowing if a photo is under copyright. I’ve tried to adopt a policy where I don’t use copyrighted material but, obviously some stuff does slip the net.

Another (alleged) copyright owner threatened legal action. 😦 They offered nothing to back up their claim of ownership, I have to say. Unfortunately I’m not in a position where I can afford to pay out copyright owners or fight people in court (and lose, if they’re the legal owner of the photos in question). I blog for fun, I blog in my spare time, I hope I deliver a sense of the wholesome, exhilarating nature of naturism in 2017. But when there’s the question of legal issues, and veiled threats, the blogging ceases to be fun. It’s just a blog, and I can live with, or without, it.

I simply can’t go checking the origins of every photo (a policy that would simply fail somewhere) as the blog would grind to a halt, even if we could make arrangements to credit photos or seek permission. I’ve looked at the options available to me, and it’s clear that even our current policy of crediting, where known, or pointing people in the direction of the original copyrighted work, isn’t feasible.

I shall be rethinking the blog over the next few days, up to and including possibly deleting it all rather than risk legal action.

Ella