With ponderous slowness, the internet is becoming a place where people are actually held accountable for their statements. Lawsuits have been launched, and with some degree of success. When Wikipedia finds itself on the receiving end of someone's massive libel suit, will you consider that "a little fuss"?

Jeremy Nichols: Frankly, it blows me away that we're even allowed to use/post all these copyrighted images on this board, too. They're all violations of copyright. I would think that, in the interest of protecting their copyrights, Marvel and DC lawyers would have to push the C&D letters.

While you may be right, I don't think it's in either Marvel or DC's best interests to do so when the majority of fan sites out there are using these images.  I had an Iron Man fan site back in the late 90's (a sister site to the Advanced Iron fanzine home page) and I received an e-mail from Marvel stating that I either had to conform to their site templates and use only images they provided or else they'd pursue legal action.  I know a few other people who got similar e-mails.  Nothing ever became of it that I know of, and I figure it's free advertisement for Marvel and DC, so why would they want to crack down on that?

I figure it this way: as long as the site isn't posting pictures of Spider-Man and the Black Cat doing the two-backed beast (which I've actually seen!), then why not leave them alone?  They're just expressing their appreciation for the comic.

http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include — 

(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;

(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

I think Fair Use covers it.