The Difference Between DeviantART and Photobucket

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen new users commit art theft without meaning to, simply because they’re under the impression that DeviantART is like Photobucket, only with social-networking capabilities.  

This is the biggest misunderstanding among some new users. To clarify that misunderstanding, Photobucket is an image-sharing site, where you can find practically any image to use.  Even though it’s hard to tell, DeviantART is actually much different than that.  This is not only a social-networking site, but an online art community that promotes and publishes original artists and their artwork, whether it’s digital art, traditional art, flash animation, or even literature/writing.  Which means, you just can’t post any picture you find, into your “gallery” like it’s your “album” on Photobucket. That’s considered art theft because it’s not your work.  Your “Favorites” is where you can favorite other people’s work.

Many new users are also under the impression that they can post whatever they want on here, because there are no rules on the Internet.  That’s just a myth. In fact, there’s a copyright law that even applies to content posted on the Internet, called Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  If you post someone else’s work, that is not only considered as art theft but copyright infringement.  Whenever someone creates a piece of original work, whether it’s a work of literature, art, or music, an automatic copyright is made and protects the original artist or author of that piece of work and gives them ownership of that work.

Art theft is a serious crime, yet some users are ignorant of that fact and post artwork that isn’t theirs on purpose. Why is it a crime? Because you are violating laws when you commit art theft or copyright infringement, and you can be penalized for it.  You can be sued out of all the money you have in court, and with some severe cases, you can even be put in prison for it.  Trust me; I’ve heard stories of people spending prison time for art theft. For example (and this is actually true; I heard this from someone who had to sue somebody for art theft): a 16-year-old German girl was convicted of art theft a few years back. They tried her as an adult, and sentenced her to two years in prison, and another two years in a U.S. prison (because the person who sued her was from the U.S). Yeah, I don’t think it’s very fun to spend time in prison, not to mention…you have to pay expensive damages (depending on how much the person wants to sue for).

Here’s some pointers to avoid art theft/copyright infringement:
~Never post someone else’s work in your Galleries. Your “Gallery” is where you upload your own, original work that YOU created yourself.  If you like someone else’s work, you “favorite” (or “fav”) it and it’s immediately sent into your “Favorites” section on your profile.
~Never post someone else’s work anywhere else on the Internet, unless you have their permission. This also includes using someone’s work in one of your own pieces of art work.  You must ask the original artist/author for their permission to post it or use it.
~Do not “re-color” other people’s work. This is also considered art theft.
~Always give the proper credit to the original artist and even link back to their original work, if you use their work (with permission) in your own work. This counts for when using “doll bases.” ALWAYS give proper credit to the original artist.
~If you’re not sure who the original artist is or where the original artwork is, or you don’t know how to contact them for permission….Don’t post it at all. That way, the original artist won’t come and start a flame war with you.

If you keep these tips in mind, you won’t have people trolling or flaming you, and they won’t report you in. Simple as that.

Here’s some other helpful FAQs that can be found at the Help Desk:
FAQ #2: Where can I find the official DeviantArt Copyright Policy?
FAQ #33: Where can I find the DeviantArt Submission Agreement?
FAQ #94: I would like to purchase a work I've found on DeviantArt or license it for use.
FAQ #9: What are the limits for Thumbnails and Emoticons?
FAQ #8: What are violations of the DeviantArt copyright policy?

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