Harold Mansfield
12-11-2012, 02:25 PM
I've always been under the assumption that Government resources that are open for the public to use freely, can in fact be used and distributed freely. After all, we own the Government right?
For instance, if you have a commercial online wildlife magazine and you occasionally use informational video and images from the Department of Fish and Game, BLM, or National Parks service, that it was OK to use these as additional information. Especially if you get them from the Government website and they have sharing and embedding options.
These are for public consumption and sharing. Right? I would never propose to take government resources alone, repackage and sell them, but do I need permission form the Government to use public information in a for profit project?
USA.gov says that Government images and works can be used freely without permission or fee, but it neglects to specifically mention government videos. It's all "Government works", right?
For instance, if you have a commercial online wildlife magazine and you occasionally use informational video and images from the Department of Fish and Game, BLM, or National Parks service, that it was OK to use these as additional information. Especially if you get them from the Government website and they have sharing and embedding options.
These are for public consumption and sharing. Right? I would never propose to take government resources alone, repackage and sell them, but do I need permission form the Government to use public information in a for profit project?
USA.gov says that Government images and works can be used freely without permission or fee, but it neglects to specifically mention government videos. It's all "Government works", right?