[LM_NET] 2nd HIT: Bookcovers on Website

[Kristine Wildner <Kristine0001@WI.RR.COM>]

I've received a few more responses about using bookcovers on my 
website.  It appears to me from the School Library Journal article and 
other discussions referenced below that Fair Use would allow me to use 
bookcovers on my websites with my reviews. Here are the responses I've 
received lately.

My website is currently in transition.  The new images won't upload 
and I need to recreate it all on Teacher Web - so if you have any more 
comments - I'd appreciate your input. 

Kristine Wildner
Librarian
Holy Apostles School
New Berlin, WI
Kristine0001@wi.rr.com

Have you checked with Carrie Gardner - I've heard the exact opposite 
of this
as long as you don't alter the cover in any way.
I wasn't originally going to respond to this.  However, after reading
the slightly uninformed responses you received; I thought I'd add in my
two cents.  Using book covers for reviews online for non-profit 
purposes
typically falls under "Fair Use", which you can read about in detail
here:
http://www.benedict.com/Info/FairUse/FairUse.aspx

There's also a great discussion here:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=356201

Here, also, is an article in School Library Journal that also covers
your question: 
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA188140.html

Of course, the thing to keep in mind is that, yes, what you are doing 
is
copyright infringement.  However, what you are doing is also most
certainly protected by Fair Use.  This doesn't mean that a publisher
couldn't take you to court; it just means that they aren't likely to
because Fair Use would make it a wasted effort on their part.

So, to make a long explanation short, my advice would be to go ahead 
and
use the covers. The publishers aren't going to hunt you down for using 
a
thumbnail of one of their book covers on your book review website (even
if you give it a bad review.)  ;-)
I know that afew years ago, SLJ's columnist Carrie (Carrie on 
Copyright) said that it
could be argued that this was a "fair use" of the image and should not
impact sales, in fact it has the potential to increase sales. I really
thought this was an acceptable use of cover images.
Carrie says it is OK:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA188140.html

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