[quote name='dtcarson']Isn't someone taking a picture of something, technically their 'creative work'? Yes, it's a Sony PS1, but it's *my* PS1, and *my* picture.
Apart from the fraud issue [the second seller representing a product via photo that he's not selling], it goes into overhead. Best Buy has already paid for their store, so why can't I just stand outside their store selling my dvd's? That's their building, their salaries, etc, and for me to 'leech' onto their business is wrong.
I use stock photos for stock items [a dvd or game in like-new shape, so a picture of the specific item doesn't really benefit anyone] but I either use Ebay's stock photos, which are there for a reason, or I link to the manufacturer's website, [which usually doesn't sell the product directly], and say something like 'As seen in the manufacturer's picture below.'
Ebay lets you post one picture free, and they host it on their server, I believe.[/quote]
Actually, photos are public information, unless the owner gets it copywritten. A photo that's not copywritten can be used in any way, shape or form that I want to. That's why you see these photos all over the internet that are changed and manipulated. The owners, unless they copy right it, can do nothing about it.
Now, with ebay, it might be different. Ebay may say that all the photos that are uploaded to their site, are owned and copyrighted with ebay. So, I'm not too sure on that one.
But like a military newspaper, it's is public record, so any Joe-Schmo can come by and manipulate those photos however they want. But with a civilian newspaper, you can't use any text or photos without their consent.