How Can I Get an Image Without Copyright?
When it comes to images, copyright protects the rights of image creators. This protects their livelihood by ensuring that people who use their work are paying for a license and aren’t violating their copyright.
There are a few ways to avoid copyright violations when using images. These include finding images in the public domain, Creative Commons images that require attribution and licensed stock images.
1. Creative Commons
Creative Commons (CC) is a not-for-profit organisation created to ease some of the restrictions of ‘All Rights Reserved’ copyright licenses that don’t always fit well with digital distribution. CC allows creators to share their work with certain conditions attached, and it’s become an internet standard that is incorporated into image search tools like Google Image Search and Flickr.
The most popular CC license is CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution): images can be used and modified, as long as the creator is credited and the image isn’t used for commercial purposes. CC BY-NC (Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives) also works well, but it doesn’t allow for any modifications to the image. There are seven other types of CC licences, and it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with them. Breach of CC terms constitutes copyright infringement and can lead to legal action against the image creator.
Many bloggers, social media users, and wikimedia contributors use CC images on a regular basis. The attribution requirements for these images are fairly strict, and it’s best to include the full attribution in your posts or other online content. You should link back to the image source as well, and if there is any other information that the creator requests, you should follow it.
Using CC-licensed images is a win-win situation for all parties. Image creators gain exposure as people build upon their work, and they get the satisfaction of knowing that their work is being re-used and shared in accordance with the terms they’ve specified. Image users and wikimedia contributors are also helping to promote the concept of open licensing and copyright reform, which is a big part of what Creative Commons is all about.
The CC organisation has also developed a tool that can be used to identify works that are already in the public domain. It’s important to note that this is not a replacement for the licenses or other Creative Commons tools, and it should not be considered as legal advice. For more information on this, see the CC’s statement in support of copyright reform.
2. Public Domain
Whether you’re creating a blog post, web page or ebook, adding images makes your content pop. However, you need to be sure that you’re getting them from a source that allows you to use them without breaking copyright law. The term “Public Domain” isn’t defined in copyright law and it’s up to you to determine whether or not something falls into this category.
When an image falls into the public domain, it no longer has any legal protections in place. This means that anyone can use it, including commercially and for derivative works like remixes and modifications. Although it isn’t legally required, it is good practice to cite the image source as a courtesy.
To find public domain images, search for them on visual search engines that specialize in this type of content. The Smithsonian, for example, has a huge collection of images that have been released under their open access policy. You can also find a lot of public domain images on the National Gallery of Art’s website.
Many images that are free to use might not actually be in the public domain. They may have been donated to the public domain, but it’s possible that the person who ceded them wasn’t the original legal copyright holder. There’s also the possibility that someone else holds a legal right to the image, which would mean that you’re still violating copyright law by using it.
Even if a photo is in the public domain, it can still be subject to other restrictions. For example, if a picture shows a person, you must get their consent to use it. This usually comes in the form of a model release document. It’s also possible that some elements of a picture are protected by trademark laws, which can prevent you from using them even if they’re in the public domain.
Fortunately, there are plenty of places to find high-quality photos that can be used for personal and commercial purposes. As long as you do your research and are careful, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding copyright-free images for your next project.
3. Fair Use
Adding images to any kind of content — a blog post, presentation, video or anything else — is a great way to grab attention and improve engagement. But before you hit “publish” on your next project, you’ll need to know if the images you plan to use are copyright free. Using any image that has been protected by copyright without the permission of the owner is considered copyright infringement, and can land you in legal trouble.
The good news is that there are many ways you can get an image without copyright, and avoid a hefty fine. If you aren’t sure whether or not your intended use of an image falls under one of the exceptions to copyright protection, it’s best to seek legal counsel before hitting publish. Otherwise, you run the risk of having your site taken down, receiving a cease and desist letter or being sued under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
If you are using images for scholarly purposes, then there’s a higher chance that you can use them without getting into trouble. This is because fair use is meant to benefit the public by allowing people to use copyrighted works for certain purposes without the permission of the owner. For example, it’s often considered fair to use an image of a dead dictator for a research project on their death.
When using an image for scholarly purposes, make sure to credit the original source, as well as link back to their website or gallery. This is the simplest way to ensure that you are following all fair use guidelines.
When searching for an image for your project, it’s also important to think about how much of the original image you plan to use and to consider whether or not it meets all four of the fair use factors. For instance, it’s unlikely to be fair use to include an entire image in a blog post about facial features, but it may be okay to include a thumbnail of the image and a link to the original source.
4. Licensed Stock Images
There are many stock photo sites that offer free or inexpensive (or even free) images with a variety of licensing options. It’s important to check the image’s license terms before you use it because if you breach an image’s license, you could be sued for thousands of dollars in copyright fees. In some cases, Google’s reverse image search feature can help you find the copyright owner and their contact information so that you can ask permission.
The most common license for images on a stock photo site is Royalty Free, which allows you to pay a one-time fee to get a unlimited number of uses of the image. If you want to use the image for a project that requires a higher number of reproductions or more extensive rights than the Standard license, you can upgrade to an Extended License. Some of these options, such as Adobe’s Enhanced and Extended Licenses, include the right to make derivative works of the image (e.g., a mug or T-shirt), but others don’t.
Some stock image sites also offer a rights-managed option where you pay a monthly or per-use fee for the right to use an image. However, these types of images may have stricter licensing terms, such as the number of times you can use the image and whether or not it can be used for commercial purposes.
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of obtaining copyright permission or the expense of buying licensed stock images, you can also try your hand at creating your own images. There are several websites that provide photo-editing software and tools to help you create your own unique images. If you are a designer who frequently uses images, these can be an excellent resource to keep in mind when creating a design. In addition, there are other creative ways to get an image without violating copyright laws, such as using a public domain or Creative Commons photo that doesn’t require attribution. But no matter what you do, never assume that an image is in the public domain or is licensed under a Creative Commons Zero license because there are plenty of instances where this has been proven to be false.