Internet memes, copyright, and fair use

by Richard Bahrenburg (guest poster)

When the day at work seems to drag and the day seems never ending, along comes a meme to cheer you up. A successful meme is a perfect mix of great photographic timing and clever word choice. Although many meme creating websites exist, not many people know that there may be copyright issues raised by the creation of memes using pictures owned by others. Memes can be funny for all or embarrassing for one and funny for all. If you need an example, just ask Scarlett Johansson who has found herself  the center of new memes after her unfortunate fall.

Read this article, which discusses copyright issues raised by the use of memes.