Hi there I understand your confusion.. just wanted to say something to explain better, maybe?


Generally (not always, but usually,) the following are true:

Search engines, like GOOGLE search for key words on the webpages (the ones from your search, and related words), all over the internet, to try and find what you're looking for. The things with the most hits, and the most traffic, tend to show up first, because the *numbers* say "this is what you're looking for".


So a search for "Mickey Mouse cartoon" will tend to show actual Mickey mouse (and other Disney) cartoons. The ones that are *definitely* copyrighted.

Same thing for any other search.. it tries to find the most relevant items first (whether they have a copyright or not).

Google can use these images (placing them on the results page) because all Google is doing is showing you where to find the original version (with its' copyright info usually there on the page it links to, somewhere). That doesn't mean they are free to use for anyone else.

Mostly, you can assume that anything that is someone else's work is copyrighted, unless it says it is not.

Even things other people are using, might be copyrighted - maybe they got permission to use it

AND if someone gives you permission to use their copyrighted work, unless they say you can, you can't give other people permission to use it, either.

So, if someone here said you could use their map for your tourney... you can't let other people at the tourney take it and use it for other tournies, unless the mapmaker has said you can.

It's all REALLY complicated and confusing, so it's always best to ask first to avoid trouble later


Of course that's all just to the best of my rather simple understanding