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Is using a copyrighted image/image that isn't yours as an avatar actually okay?
(piefed.europe.pub)
this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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Technically, it could be copyright infringement, depending on the work, a fair use exemption might apply - for example a screenshot from a game would be less likely to be infringing compared to, say, a painting due to less of the copyrighted work being reproduced and the avatar not being a replacement for the original work (i.e. seeing the screenshot wouldn't give you the same experience as playing the game)
In practice, I doubt very much anyone would ever actually even go so far as to send a cease and desist unless you were impersonating some brand or causing reputational damage.
Morally speaking, I think it's absolutely fine! People have been using copyrighted works in their avatars and signatures (remember those?!) since dial-up was fast enough to cope with it. If someone asks you not to then you should respect that but otherwise I'd say go ahead!
I DO remember signatures.
...we're old ain't we?