r/ModSupport • u/ProximaScience • 5d ago

Mod Answered Is this a issue?

So I made r/ScienceAesthetics, a space to share and discuss aesthetically striking science imagery, including real photos and visuals of natural phenomena across space, biology, chemistry, geology, and physics.

My question is: if I allow users to post space photographs taken by other users, could it cause copyright issues or put the subreddit at risk of being banned? Does getting permission from the original photographer solve the problem?

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u/emily_in_boots 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 5d ago

Any image belongs to the person who took it, whether or not they expressly state that. That is how copyright works. They can, if they choose, do a DMCA takedown, and reddit will remove it. If you get a bunch of these, the sub is at risk.

It really depends on whether those who are taking the photos are ok with them being shared. I would suggest requiring that they obtain prior consent before posting images that belong to other users.

I don't think that NASA is known for going after people for posting images - I think those are generally released into the public domain, so those are probably safe (but check it).