Non commercial sites

What do they exactly mean by that?

Is an informative page with free content commercial?

What if there's some ads?

Thanks...

 

If there's some ads - it's probably going to be seen as commercial.

 

your site really isn't commercial if you display some ads.
But if you are selling products or services it's commercial.
That's my opinion

 

That's what I thought too, but I'm not sure at all.

Any other opinions?

Oh, BTW, the reason why I'm asking is for the use of some photos that sometimes are free for non commercial use

 

Commerical means if it the site isn't a non-profit organization, or an educational site like a school.

For instance, I have some sites that are informational only- they do not sell any product but they do run adsense. That is considered a commerical site and I would not be able to use any photos that are for non-commerical use.

 

I agree with kandeman, but why not e-mail them and ask just to be sure.

 

In other words, any site that makes a profit would be considered commercial, right?

 

Commerical means if it the site isn't a non-profit organization, or an educational site like a school.

For instance, I have some sites that are informational only- they do not sell any product but they do run adsense. That is considered a commerical site and I would not be able to use any photos that are for non-commerical use.
Some personal sites that do not have any source of income (ads, selling text links, etc) might be able to get permission to use the photos, but it is best to get written permission because copyright infringement can actually be a criminal offense. Anything that involves money in any way generally constitutes "commerical" - even running banner ads to "pay for bandwidth."

 

From my experience it varies by the service providers terms, some will consider anything with an ad on it commercial, others will not. some will go by the education, charity rule, etc. I agree best is to contact the provider, just like family friendly sites everyone had a different opinion of what is family friendly, the only way to know for certain is to ask if you at all question if your site is commerical or not.

 

Just like InvisionPower for example. They moved to commercial when they stopped offering free products.

 

OK, it's not what I was expecting, but ok.

I guess I could write, but it would be easier to find the right pictures for free.

I didn't write that many times, but when I did, I never got a reply.
Of course it's just a coincidence, that happened 3 times.

The only time I got a reply I was asked a ridiculous amount of money, I don't remember exactly but it was something like 300$ for just one of the pics I needed.

That's when I started looking for free ones, never mind if they can be found on other websites as well.

Thanks for the info, but let me just ask one more thing, is this an official meaning of the word or what seams a common opinion?

 

Unfortunately only the owner of the pics could tell you if you can use them or not and any advice you get here has the potential to be wrong.

 

Unless the terms are stated differently, commerical means any type of site that generates, or attempts to generate ANY money, from any source. Some have terms that that will say even use on a personal website that has nothing to do with money consitutes commerical use. A $300 usage fee isn't considered very much in the world of commerical advertising. I was recently quoted $6,000 for a single image. I have had photos taken that run over $1,000 each. It might sound like a lot, but photographers do not generally make a lot of money. I once sat in on a photo shoot that took two fulls days for a single picture of a fork with a fish.

Instead of taking a risk of being sued, write and ask permission. Personally, I would just use istockphoto.com if you are concerned about cost. You can choose from hundreds of thousands of photos for $1 each. My time is worth more than writing an email to try and save $1 - and a $1 isn't anything compared to what it could cost you if you use a photograph without authorization. There are several posts on DP where people who have used photos without permission have had action taken against them for thousands of dollars. You just can't take down the photo and say you didn't know. It your responsibility for having permission to use each and every photo on your site, in advance of using it.

 

Well yes, I totally agree mjewel, 1 buck isn't a lot. I'll definetely check that site.

Just to let you know, my question is pretty theoretical, not that I am stealing images around, don't worry. Otherwise I wouldn't ask!

But there are some nice photos out there, it just sucks how much time I need to spend on finding them.

But there's a better solution, when possible and reasonable, that is taking those pictures yourself!

I am buying a better camera soon, to take advantage of this opportunity that is often overlooked, particularly when you need shots of landscapes and common items.

 

I have what is considered a really good digital camera, and through trial and error, I am pretty good at getting macro product shots - but I've found there is a whole lot to getting a good photo than just having an expensive camera - and I don't love photography enough to ever get any real good general shots unless it is by pure luck.

istockphoto also has a forum where you can request a shot if you can't find one you need. I've seen requests like - "I need a close up of a blond holding an orange next to her face" and amazed at how many people will shoot a request. Of course you are under no obligation to even buy the photo, but there are professionals who would probably charge hundreds for a shot that will jump at the chance to do a request - knowing they are only going to get less than a dollar (after istock takes its cut). It certainly has to be a competition/ego thing and everyone who posts on istock wants to have their photos downloaded.

 

Most of the non commercial sites are partially commercial, at least something like 80%. It's the ration of informative vs. commercial content that makes a difference, but in most cases those sites are still up for individual judgement which always seems to differ.

Just like "in real life". When I drive by the freeway and see the Mormon temple in La Jolla, I wonder if they really do need a golden 1 Million $ top being a non profit organization and all that.

Mike