I’m creating a poster for my University degree in a Bachelor of Digital Media and I would like to use a screenshot from our flight sim and add some text over the top, maybe some minor photoshop alterations for colour and sharpness.
What would be the copyright around the screenshot? Am I aloud to use it for the assignment? Is there any legalities I need to be mindful of in using it?
This is what I found – I take no responsibity for it’s accuracy or relevance for your particular application, but there is a Microsoft Website you can check out for yourself.
looking on the Microsoft website, I found this:
From my reading, you would not be allowed to ADD anything onto the Image, Including Text.
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/perm…ault.mspx#EMAA – link no longer seems to work !!
Screen Shots (Excluding Xbox)
To use screen shots or Internet pages that contain third-party content, you should contact the content provider directly for permission.
Except for Microsoft product boot-up screens, opening screens, “splash screens,” or screens from products that have not been commercially released (including beta versions), you may use screen shots in advertising, in documentation (including educational brochures), in tutorial books, in videotapes, or on Web sites, provided you adhere to the following guidelines:
Your use may not be obscene or pornographic, and may not be disparaging, defamatory, or libelous to Microsoft, any of its products, or any other person or entity.
Your use may not directly or indirectly imply Microsoft sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of your product or service.
You may not use the screen shot in a comparative advertisement
You may not alter the screen shot in any way except to resize the screen shot. You may not use portions of the screen shots and no portions of a screen shot may be included in your product user interface.
You may not use screen shots from Microsoft beta products or other products that have not been commercially released by Microsoft.
You may not use screen shots that contain third-party content.
You must include the following copyright attribution statement: “Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.”
If your use includes references to a Microsoft product, you must use the full name of the product.
When referencing any Microsoft trademarks, please follow the General Microsoft Trademark Guidelines.
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People do this all the time without issue in their for-profit YouTube videos, including in the video itself and the title image. For a school assignment, your edits shouldn’t be any problem.
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Allowed. 
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Agreed, as it’s a school assignment I’m thinking it would fall under fair use. It’s non-commercial. I think you’re good!
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Agreed. As long as you don’t use for profit.
The file size is a bit too big for the forums, I’ve hosted it on imgur at the moment and left a link here. Serious Gamers - Album on Imgur
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