Some things I need to look into so I can write a book. What is the copyright deal with memes? I asked chatGPT and it told me, in typical lawyer fashion, it depends. Here was the conclusion of its synopsis:
Memes inhabit a legal gray area. In practice, many rightsholders don’t bother enforcing their copyrights against creators of small, non-commercial memes. But from a purely legal standpoint, most memes use copyrighted material without explicit permission, which can be risky if the content owner chooses to enforce their rights. Relying on fair use is possible, but not guaranteed. If you need ironclad certainty, consult a qualified attorney and use public domain or licensed images. Otherwise, be aware you’re navigating a space where social norms, viral sharing, and intellectual property laws intersect.
It seems the biggest red flag is if I use memes from copyrighted work like a TV or movie. Of course some of the best memes come from movies and shows, but there are plenty of memes outside of that I could use. Creating my own memes and trying to use parody law is also probably effective.
Today is Christmas and I’m ready to spend the rest of the day with family so I’ll end this with a funny Christmas meme I found about a classic Christmas movie:
12/25/24
Conor Jay Chepenik
