Do I need permission to use small thumbnails on my website?

1) If you're broke, chances are no one's going to sue you. 2) IP law mainly revolves around profit; if you make money off someone else's work, you’ll likely have to pay up. 3) Good faith reviews and commentary might fall under fair use, especially if you clarify who owns what, and your use is a small part of your work.

You should definitely look up the copyright laws more. If someone else created the image, they own the rights. Just resizing or changing the image a bit doesn't change that. If you're looking for product images, check the manufacturer's media kit; they often provide images for promotional use. Just keep in mind, 'fair use' mostly applies to certain contexts like news or education, not just any use.

Honestly, while no one can give you a rock-solid legal answer, copyright really depends on whether the owner decides to enforce their rights. Most small creators don't bother unless they're really upset about it. So yeah, I would say it's generally low risk to use thumbnails. Worst case scenario, they might just ask you to stop using it.

It's all about where you get your images! If you're screenshotting a site's homepage, you're usually in the clear—you're creating something new to describe and categorize. But if you're grabbing pictures from another blog, you could be infringing on copyrights. If you're not sure, using images from affiliate programs is a smart move; those come with permissions, making things way easier.

From my experience with a gallery-style site, fair use felt pretty murky, especially for larger sites or if you're looking to monetize. I ended up using affiliate images since they include all the permissions you need. It took a lot of stress off my back, so it's definitely worth considering if you're uncertain!