Online coupons and deals are not always what they seem: the fine print and copyright
Crystal at The Thrifty Mama had a great blog post recently titled Why I Will Not Be Posting CVS Coupons that got me thinking about blogging coupons and special deals in general. (And kudos to The Thrifty Mama for not posting those CVS coupons!)
As I mentioned, this blog post got me to thinking…. There are a lot of great bargains to be found on the internet. But truth be told, not all of them are intended by the companies to be published by bloggers or other websites online.
For example, there are lots of great “deal seeking” websites, forums, and blogs out there. (I am not going to name any specific deals, nor mention any specific websites, forums, or blogs.) But I am surprised at the number of deals that I see where you click on the offer and it specifically states on the offer in the fine print: this offer is not be published anywhere without the explicit approval of company XYZ. But yet, these offers get posted, and reposted on forums. And consequently, some of them make their way into blogs.
As bloggers, we have a responsibility to understand what we are posting. We have a responsibility to read the “fine print” of the offers we are posting. If the offer says something like “may not be republished without consent from company XYZ”, then it is not our place to publicize our publish the offer in any way.
Just yesterday I saw two of the big frugal / coupon / money saving bloggers post about an offer that specifically said in the fine print of the offer: “may not be republished without consent from company XYZ.” While I don’t know for sure, I strongly suspect that these bloggers did not specifically contact the company before mentioning this offer on their blogs. And it seems like when one blogger first mentions an offer, it spreads like wildfire through the internet, and before you know it, everyone is blogging about the offer, regardless of what is listed in the fine print of an offer.
To take this one step further, I am also surprised how many bloggers I see using unauthorized or otherwise copyrighted images without properly attributing, linking, and/or giving due credit to the copyright owner. Unfortunately, not every blog post or blog photo falls into the “Fair Use” area of copyright.
I guess as a librarian, I am sensitive to these things, and to copyright law in general. (It was part of our “training” in the master’s degree program in library and information science.) And that is precisely why you will see a very limited number of pictures in my blog posts. Yes, pictures can add a lot to a blog post, but unless they are properly linked and attributed, a lot of legal trouble can ensue. Some people attempt to attribute ownership or give credit using Creative Commons licenses, but even Creative Commons licensing does not mean you can do whatever you want with another person’s content.
So, I encourage all of you to read the fine print of the offers you post online. It just may save you a lot of money and headache someday.
For more reading on this topic, check out
Is it Okay to Use That Photo in Your Blog
Copyright and Fair Use Considerations
Top 5 Sites to Find Free Photos to Use on Your Blog
*Please note* These are only my views (“Momma”). I am not a legal expert nor am I trying to give legal advice. After all, I’m only a librarian. 🙂
Momma TaderDoodles says
wow, i don’t tend to post or repost ads or offers… but I never stopped to look to see if what the fine print said. I would think a company would want all the free advertising it could get….
are companies not honoring the deals if it didn’t come from “their” link…
I agree that you shouldn’t post things that you don’t have permission to post, just curious whether the companies are actually complaining about it.
minnemom says
I’m surprised that more companies don’t use the tactic by some–specific codes that are user-specific and can only be used one time.
And, yeah, I’m with you on all the copyright stuff. (Are we librarians the only ones who think about that?)
Ally says
I actually agree with your post. When people start spreading good deals/freebies around, the company gets overwhelmed with tons of requests. If the company is unable to deliver, people tend to be quick with their negative judgement.
Anonymous says
The bottom line is if you don’t have PERMISSION from a company to post something, it can be considered copyright infringement.
It’s as simple as that.
Bloggy says
Just because you give the original link to a photo in your own blog, it doesn’t mean you haven’t violated copyright law. Please educate yourselves on copyright law people!!!!!!!!!!!
Sandy says
As a teacher/writer, I’m also very sensitive to copyright issues (I’ve had my own violated from time to time!). My blogs and sites also contain few pictures for that very reason. Whatever I use, I want to be positive I’m using it legally and fairly, and that generally means my own photos or none.
Laura says
Good point, about posting pictures. I have always hated when people do this. Like if Pampers is having a deal, they go to diapers.com and save a image of Pampers and put it on their website. Hello? That IS theft. Plain and simple. Personally, it makes me lose respect for that blogger.
freebiemom says
Wow! Thanks for the great info! I’ll take a look at the fine print next time I post. Like many frugal bloggers, when I find a good deal, I let people know about it. I guess company XYZ (whoever they are) don’t want to lose too much money on giving great deals. Thanks a bunch!
Tosha says
ty for the post. I will be reading the fine print from now on!