User blog comment:Reilock/Using Lol Images for other games: Thoughts/@comment-5235176-20131009172911/@comment-18521310-20131009175410

That's not even remotely true. (At least not in the US, which is where Riot is based and whose laws apply here.)

It is illegal to use someone else's intellectual property for any reason outside of two cases:
 * Parody
 * Critique/review

Even in both of these cases, you can only use small parts. For a book, it might be a few paragraphs or a page. For a movie, it's a scene, etc. For a game, you could do screen shots, gameplay clip, maybe even some splash art.

But this is neither case. This is just straight up stealing artwork and using it for your own advertisement. Monetary gain is irrelevant.

Even fan-sites, etc, that use intellectual property are, technically speaking, illegal. The only reason that's "okay" is because it's good for the company and they have no reason to sue.

Riot has a specific public release that allows people to use game clips and screenshots for streaming, youtube, etc. It does not apply to this.

And while it's not relevant here, everyone should be aware that "for educational purposes" isn't fair use either. If it were, colleges would be able to use printed-out textbooks for free.