Copyright "Disclaimer"
I just saw this copyright disclaimer on a website
"[Website Name] Online is in no way affiliated with [Olympic Athlete] or his friends or family. All images and media are copyrighted to their respective owners, no infringement is intended. If you have a problem with anything on this sites, please contact me before taking any legal action."
After reading this "disclaimer" I felt like I needed to write this site's owner and maybe keep him or her out of some future trouble.
Here's my letter to the webmaster:
I just had to write you after reading this in your disclaimer section "All images and media are copyrighted to their respective owners, no infringement is intended. If you have a problem with anything on this sites, please contact me before taking any legal action."
I had to laugh out loud after reading that. Your admission that you do not hold the copyright to any of the images on your site is a legal admission that infringement IS intended.
I have absolutely no problem with your site, I think that fan sites are great ... but I really think you should learn something about copyright law and your liability before you make a "disclaimer" like that on your site.
To a lawyer your "disclaimer" actually says; "These images do not belong to me, I am willfully and with full knowledge violating someone else's copyright and I really hope you'll please ask me to take down your images before you sue me for copyright infringement"
Again, I'm not giving you a hard time ... I'm hoping to save you from future trouble.
Take care. ... and feel free to ask me any questions you have on this topic, I have LOTS of experience in this area (however I am not a lawyer).