PowerPoint...Clipart and Autoshapes Copyright

[snowdrift]

Hello,

We use Articulate Presenter and PowerPoint to create lessons that we sell.

I have read that we can't use Clipart for commercial purposes. I understand that.

I'm curious, though, about the other shapes, lines, forms, action buttons, call outs, basic shapes, and block arrows. Can we legally use these in commercial presentations/products?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also, any additional information on what can and cannot be used from PowerPoint (for commercial purposes) would be appreciated.

How about the images and icons that come with the "Rapid E-Learning PowerPoint Template Kit"? Can we use these in commercial products?

Sincerely,

Sam

[Rob47]

Sam,

I do not believe that the shapes, lines, forms, action buttons, call outs, basic shapes, and block arrows are issues.

I know that you may use the PPT Template Kit from Articulate in your commercial products.

HTH,

Rob

[doofdaddy]

I was interested in how MS handles the clip art use.

Here's a snip from the terms of use site

Media Elements and Templates. You may have access to media images, clip art, animations, sounds, music, shapes, video clips, and templates associated with the service. If so, you may copy and use these images, clip art, animations, sounds, music, shapes, video clips, and templates identified for such use in documents and projects that you create. You may distribute those documents and projects non-commercially. If you wish to use these media elements or templates for any other purpose, go to www.microsoft.com/permission to learn whether that use is allowed.
If you obtain media elements and templates from the Microsoft Office Online Web site, you may use them only if you have a valid license to a Microsoft Office suite or one of its programs or a Microsoft software product that includes Microsoft Clip Gallery or Microsoft Clip Organizer.

From the permissions site:

Clip Art
The Microsoft Clip Art Gallery provides a compilation of artwork for your personal use. Microsoft licenses some of the artwork from third parties and therefore cannot grant permission for you to redistribute the artwork. For more information on the terms of use, refer to the End User License Agreement (EULA) that accompanied the product from which you obtained the clip art. If you obtained the artwork from Office Online, you can find the EULA at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX100667421033.aspx.

Many other product EULAs are available at Retail Software License Terms.

The following guidelines apply to the use of clip art:

1. You may use clip art in your school assignments and projects.
2. You may use clip art in your church brochure.
3. You may use clip art for personal, noncommercial uses.
4. You may not use clip art to advertise your business.
5. You may not use clip art to create a company logo.
6. You may not use clip art to illustrate the chapters of a book.

[doofdaddy]

This seems kind of confusing. As it is written it appears that if you work for a commercial enterprise there's no room to use clip art for your projects.

One part states that if you have a licensed copy of the MS product you have the right to use the clip art.

The other states that it can only be used for personal, noncommercial use.

How does this impact those who are in an organization that licenses the software and has access to the clip art?

[Rob47]

And there, my friend, is why we have a ton of lawyers in the world...so they can write such confusing text and then charge later to "interpret" it...

My biased opinion.

Rob

[doofdaddy]

I think your right.

It seems to me that if you buy their software and they give you tools like clip art then you should have the freedom to use it within the context of how you are using the software.

[damo]

I was interested in this topic, I found these conversation and wanted to make sure, I called Microsoft asking about possibilities to use it in business.
They said me, that the only source of knowledge about this is herehttp://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/permissions/default.mspx#E5F
and they will not say me nothing else.
They told, that we should tak a lawyer and he should interpretate this and that's all what we can do.

Crazy stuff.

Hve you got any further news in this topic?