Legal Question in Technology Law in California

Re: Use of images from another website as thumbnails on my websie

The size of the image does not impact whether it is a violation of copyright, but the purpose of the use has a huge impact. Generally, one may be allowed to copy intellectual property if such copying is "fair use", but only a federal judge can tell you (after the fact) whether such use was fair.

You can get a fair idea from an attorney whether your intended use will satisfy the fair use standard, but no one, not an attorney nor even a federal judge that has no litigation pending before him, can tell you in advance whether the copying is lawful or not.

Some folks are willing to take the chance, and other folks will want to play it safe and not copy.

Re: Use of images from another website as thumbnails on my websie

Have a look at the Perfect 10 v. Google litigation for a thorough discussion of use of thumbnails.

Short answer... don't do it without permission