I am just trying so save someone from getting a nasty big bill...
The internet may well have many pieces of work that has had its copyright breached' just as homes around the country are full of stolen property
It is when the author's work is used in relation to commercial gain that you may find yourself in doodoo, although I acknowledge the odds are still in you favour
However, if the author or those acting for the author, discover that an image is used in this way and believe there is a reasonable chance of recovering loss then you may get a big bill
If you went into M & S and pinched some frozen fish fingers, cost £5.99 and got found out you would not expect to get away with simply paying for the fingers, more like you would be up before the beak and get a £60 fine. a 10 x 'fine'
The same principal will apply for the breach of copyright, although you will be dealing with lawyers not magistrates
If anyone fancies using images by Getty I would strongly advise against using them for anything as they are extremely active in recovering losses. The BBC use Getty images.
As, I believe, MyCult has indicated previously, there is sophisticated software that can search for 'owned' images across the net,including your website
toodle pip