This is not directly addressed in the rules, so here goes.

Imagine that I have both a sealed DVD in my hand and also an exactly matching scan on my hard drive of the cover from a source not claiming ownership or copyright restriction (cdcovers.cc).

Opening the DVD (which I've done so far) renders it used (not new) and therefore less valuable for sale or trade.

Do we have a specific policy against simply cropping out the relevant portion of the pre-scanned image for submission, or is more like "don't be dumb enough to tell us where you got this when submitting"?

Quoting Kathy:

Quote:
... as long as they do not have copyright data on them.

So I'm confused here because many covers express a copyright over the art design of the cover.

This goes farther than my original question, but is good to know.

I was thinking that I could provide a better scan for any cover that is currently in the database. This now brings things into question.

Quoting lasitter:

Quote:
I was thinking that I could provide a better scan for any cover that is currently in the database. This now brings things into question.

If you can offer to upload an improved cover image than currently exists in the online database, then by all means feel free to submit it.

Just make sure that you detail the differences when you upload the scans, for the benefit of both those voting and Invelos staff whose job it is to approve the images.

I regularly submit initial pre-release profiles with retailer-sourced images, and follow them up later with improved data and higher resolution scans. This is important, as cover designs sometimes change a little between pre-release and what actually hits the stores.

Indeed, someone who can regularly offer improved quality cover scans is an asset to the database, as not everyone owns a scanner.