Whilst in the greater scheme of things, the Google View button itself is not a major concern, I think the discussion is opening up some interesting areas...

Ian makes a good point about this case being a commercial issue, which can be summarised as; - ‘Getty threatens to sue. Google removes View Image’ button and ‘enters into partnership’ (pays) Getty. Action dropped’

However there is a great deal of commercial pressure on the Internet, (esp to US Gov) by the anti net neutrality lobby, and also a demand for restrictive copyright laws from some parts of the EU), both have been increasing for quite a few years now. At this point it all becomes very political - and increasingly dangerous for an open Internet. Commercial and political are becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to disentangle.

Whilst there are “those who are less mindful because they are rushed, thoughtless, blissfully unaware or ill-informed,” they pose no real threat to the Internet or Web or even commercial interests. They operate at a low level and their activities, often on Facebook and other social media have no significant impact. But their naivety can put them at a personal disadvantage. The rise of copyright trolls; https://petapixel.com/2018/02/20/photographer-beware-imagerights-international/ and aggressive image security measures, for example, Instagram testing a feature that will notify users when anyone screenshots their pictures.

There are implications for institutions and organisations, including schools, who - because they (may appear to), have money - are a good target for companies such as Getty, (who have threatened schools on a number of occasions). Unfortunately many important elements of digital literacy will get lost amidst the avalanche of ‘computing’ and ‘coding’ initiatives aimed at teachers and students, therefore the status quo of lack of understanding on finding and using and sharing images is likely to continue.