The copyright to any intellectual property belongs to its creator -- author, artist, composer, whatever. It does not belong to any publisher or web site unless it is signed over by its creator. It does NOT belong to thee and me.
That's the law. On the other hand it's a hard law to enforce without expensive litigation. If you want to pinch somebody's work you'll probably get away with it but it's safer to get written permission from the owner.
Most sites state specifically who owns content, who is responsible for repercussions of that content, and what happens if that content is used without permission. Almost all content on the web is technically owned by someone, and using it without their permission can result in a law suit. For example, someone once sued Conan O'Brien for using jokes they had posted on Twitter without permission: http://www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com/news/twitter-user-sues-conan-o-brien-over-stolen-jokes-4441
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
