Linspire Accused Of Misusing Creative Commons Art

SuperDuG writes "Seems that intellectual property and copyright laws are something that Linspire still doesn't seem to have a firm grasp of. Their flash intro has with it some popular Linux images made by a rather talented artist. An email to Klowner was the first notice he ever got about the images being hijacked, not once has Linspire requested permission to use these images in their ad campaign. They seem pretty similar to me, you be the judge."

Comments

Bait and switch

[Anonymous Coward]

This title is misleading because the artwork had no CC license when originally posted. If your offer up your creative material with no copyright protection and state that it is free for all to use, why shouldn't Linspire (or for that matter Microsoft or SCO) feel free to use it?

Changing the license afterwards like the author did in this case is also your right, but it is like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.

FWIW, I've seen the same artwork in other Live CD's (Slax comes to mind) so Linspire aren't the only people who grabbed it.

Re:Linspire are Lassholes

[tommasz]

Regardless of whether Mark derives income from sales of his graphics, it's clearly marked that his permission is required prior to use of the images. Not "if used in commercial work" or "free for individual use". They clearly didn't get his permission (or even ask for it) even though it was for use in a Flash movie.

If they have such a cavalier attitude towards ownership of something visible, what might they have done with something not quite as obvious?

Honestly, it could have been much better, too.

Re:Not just the one flash, either.

[The Wicked Priest]

Eh? The rasta art is credited (to "Colin F." at colin-f.com). The credit screen appears at the end of the Flash movie.

Unless they just added that credit in the last hour...