people screengrab others sites and blog about them all the time. i can't imagine this would be illegal at all... furthermore, if you were to link the screengrabs back to the websites they came from, the site owners would just gain more exposure so it would benefit both parties.

inspirational sites like cssmania & cssbeauty do this all the time.

thats a really cool idea.
that'd be more interesting than a plain old gallery site.

Thanks auhshoj, i figured there might be some steps to take. as far as membership agreement, that would be assuming I have some sort of membership thing, because i was thinking anyone could download the images. if i did it that way, could i just have a set of rules regarding the material specifying that this is for inspiration, not to steal, and that if you see something that is from your site, you can have it removed?

I was thinking that, at the bottom of every scrapbook page, have links to where the bits came from.

Unless the web site includes commentary or educational articles with these scrapbooks, it does not constitute fair use under US law. The "fair use" clause only makes true exemptions for satirical purposes; the aspect of "fair use" for editorial purposes is extremely shady - there have been rulings against and rulings in favor of defendants in civil suits, and no line drawn to show what exactly constitutes "fair use for editorial purposes".

The reason why I suggested the agreement and the infringement reporting system is that if his web site does contain media that constitutes infringement, the copyright holder can press charges (which is a LOT worse than just being hauled in for a damages suit because copyright infringement is handled at the federal level) and instead of just walking away owing money, you're going to have to wait 4 years before you can walk anywhere outside of a federal prison.

Nevertheless, you don't have to flood your web site with "made by *.com" in watermarks through every image and page. And I don't think I have to ask how exactly you would verify that these bits were listed as coming from somewhere they actually came from - I could go on there and put a bit of OD.org and say it came from a subdomain of Microsoft.com.

The idea is a solid one - and something very unique. I say, "go for it". All you really need is the drive to get it done, the time to dedicate to making it happen, and a few people to answer some questions on subjects (like this one) when you're not too sure.

I appreciate your design ability and respect the work that you've done (I particularly enjoy your current web site, even tho it's missing content! [I shouldn't say anything... I still have a "I'll be home soon" sign on my site]) and I have faith that any idea you come up with will be a better idea than one I can come up with.



I look forward to seeing where this thing goes.

It would be easy to get caught up in the "what if" scenarios as it is a very grey are, but the reality is:

1) Most designers will want the compliment/exposure/link

2) If someone does not like what you are doing, you will most likely get a cease and desist letter first before any action is taken. So you take down the image and you are done with the problem (at least for that one site).

3) You are 16. I assume there is not a whole lot there to get (money) if someone does sue, so no one is going to be bothered.

I would go for it and let it work itself out as it develops.

Let me know if you need a hand. It sounds like a neat idea.

Matt

First of all, I have to say that I like screenmash better than sublime___. Also, I agree with Matt, you won't get sued until they've sent you a cease and desist. They'd look like idiots in court if they did. If you just listen when people want something removed, and keep a list of those sites, so that you don't take anything from them in the future, you'll be fine (in my opinion, and I'm not a lawyer).