You may not download, borrow, copy or use any of my pictures in any way – not without contacting me and getting written license first. You may not use my photos on your website, blog, newsletter or any other use. Beware. I use Tineye and Google Images to search for any illegal use on the web and I do find them. That’s when you’ll get a most unpleasant surprise. It might be a hefty bill, or I might comment on your blog about your theft. One blogger is still trying to live down the embarrassment years later.
The law is very strong about copyright. It is a criminal offence (not a civil offence) and very easy to enforce. I have received numerous compensation payments for copyright infringements, some of them quite sizeable, because of the clarity and severity of the law. Don’t be one of them. Stay clean. Write to me first.
It’s unfortunate that I have to watermark my images with the copyright notice. I hope you understand that I have to do so in order to protect them. In some cases I’ve left a few un- watermarked just so they can be displayed nicely. But these images are still governed by the same copyright law and may not be copied or downloaded.
Please note that copyright laws are internationally protected and enforced. The Berne Convention has been signed by 167 countries. Even if you live in Kyrgyzstan I can still bring a suit against you from Australia.
There is one single exception to my rule: Schoolkids up to grade 12 are hereby granted a license to download images from my website for school projects only. If their teachers question why there is a watermark on the image, just copy this notice as proof of permission.