Discussion:
What is the name of your state? oregon
i m starting a online retail biz and i need a lot of image files that describe our items. tell me if this is legal.
case 1
print out an image from someone else's website and scan it then upload a scanned image to my website.
case 2
copy an image, do little editing such as cut the size down or put a board or frame around it then upload to my website.
case 3
copy an image, put my logo on the corner of an image then upload.
or if you have any suggestion let me know....

Answer:
case 1
print out an image from someone else's website and scan it then upload a scanned image to my website. Not legal, unless you have permission to use the image.
case 2
copy an image, do little editing such as cut the size down or put a board or frame around it then upload to my website. Not legal, unless you have permission to use the image.
case 3
copy an image, put my logo on the corner of an image then upload. Not legal, unless you have permission to use and modify the image.
Sensing a trend here? You simply cannot legally use a picture that someone else has taken or created without permission from the copyright owner. It's that simple. Perhaps the manufacturers of the retail goods you are selling will have pictures you can use, or maybe you could take pictures yourself. Otherwise, you either have to figure out how to get permission to use the pictures you want to use, or just go ahead and use them and then face the possibility of being sued for copyright infringement.