All artwork in this site is copyrighted by Michael Gibbs.
All images copyright © 1990-2007 Michael Gibbs. All rights reserved.

Every image in this site is protected by copyright and may not be used for any purpose beyond normal online viewing and one-time comping usage in client presentations. No artwork in this site may be reproduced in any other manner whatsoever, for any use whatsoever, including print, multimedia or internet usage without permission of the illustrator. No image in this site is in the "public domain."

Some basic facts about copyright law and the visual arts:

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of "original works of authorship", which includes artistic works, both published and unpublished. Section 106 of the Copyright Act generally gives the copyright owner the exclusive right to:
• Reproduce the copyrighted artwork

• Create derivative artwork based upon the copyrighted artwork

• Distribute copies of the copyrighted artwork to the public by sale or by licensing

• Display the copyrighted artwork publicly

Artwork on the web is not automatically in the "public domain". If you did not create it or license the right to use it, you may not use it for any purpose without permission from the copyright holder. Any usage beyond normal browser viewing or one-time comping usage in client presentations is a violation of copyright law.

The creator of an artwork automatically and immediately owns the copyright to that artwork as soon as it is created, even without copyright registration. It is not necessary for the © symbol to accompany artwork to preserve copyright ownership for the copyright holder.

Artwork that is registered with the United States Copyright Office is granted powerful legal protection. Unauthorized usage may result in the infringer being liable for up to US$150,000.00 in statutory damages for each image willfully infringed, and for court costs and attorney's fees.

Artwork may not be copied and/or altered: when you copy an image directly or from memory; add, delete or combine elements; manipulate or alter an image; you are creating a derivative work. Under United States copyright law, the copyist is in violation of copyright law, and the copyright holder of the original work also owns the copyright to derivative works.

Additional information about copyright can also be found at these websites:

• United States Copyright Office

• The Copyright Society of the USA

• Copyright Information for Children

• Friends of Active Copyright Education (FA©E)

• Graphic Artists Guild "Ask First"

• Copyright FAQs

• Text of the U.S. Copyright Law

All images in this site are watermarked with a copyright notice. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1999, it is a criminal offense to remove a copyright notice or to attempt to circumvent an artist's copyright protection. If you would like to license an image, please contact the illustrator.

Please respect my copyright and that of my fellow artists. Copyright protects the value and integrity of artists' licensing rights, and it protects the viability of illustrators' individual careers, livelihoods and the profession. For these reasons, I vigorously protect my copyright. In the event that an infringement is discovered, the infringer will be notified and invoiced, and will be subject to prosecution for copyright infringement in U.S. Federal Court. Copyright infringement may result in the infringer being liable for up to US$150,000.00 in statutory damages for each image willfully infringed, and for court costs and attorney's fees.

So, please enjoy the website and my artwork, feel free to use images for comping and presentation purposes, and if you need to use an image, contact me.