By analogizing copyright infringement to theft, all you do is harm your own credibility.

Theft implies depriving someone of something and, given that it’s often more likely someone will take a comic (or other piece of intellectual property) down rather than paying, that in turn presents you as a “count your chicks before they hatch” sort of person.

Furthermore, doing so is a very bad public relations move because it reminds people of the RIAA’s sustained attempts to bully people into paying money they usually don’t have for “product” they often don’t consider worth the market price. (In other words, they’re “count your chicks before they hatch and take them to court if they don’t” people)

Given that you are an advice columnist, I would be especially careful. You live on your credibility and that has a significant dependence on peoples’ emotional response to you.

A license is $10 for use on a personal website and $20 for a non-profit.

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/d3e8ce1a-4d90-4cbc-9a66-bae5b25e717e.html

A link doesn’t absolve theft. Taking the fruits of somebody’s creative labor without paying them is like having a contractor do work on your house and not paying them. This guy sells cartoons for a living. I was guessing that, like many people, you weren’t aware of how copyright laws work, and that it’s stealing to post somebody’s work without paying for it.

I’m disappointed to see that when this was pointed out to you, you didn’t seem to consider it in the slightest and just stubbornly and (apparently unthinkingly) kept the work up. Do let me know when you’ll be over to mow my lawn for no pay.

This is the intertubes. Your copyright laws do not apply here.

Now, tits or gtfo.

-Anon

If you want to run somebody’s cartoon or column or other published work on your blog, contact them or their syndicator or newspaper, get a price for licensing it, and pay for it.