copyright

[robi]

hi, i have built a forum(copletely from scrach havent stole anything) and i would like some icons for it, are icons copywriten?
(not sure i spelled that right) because i saw more than one forums with the same icons(not forums from the same developing company) and i would like to know if they are copywritten or if someone knows a good site from where to get icons.

if you understood any of the above i would appreciate it if you could help. thanks.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Icons can absolutely be copyrighted. Many of the icons you see are probably part of software packages for forums. You should check out where they come from. You may want to ask the people whose icons you wish to use where they acquired them. It is possible that they were royalty-free images or part of a GPL based license.

Remember that just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean it is lawful -- or that you won't be the one to get caught.