Using online images may be very tempting but can be a very dangerous practice. How dangerous? Penalty per image can range anywhere from few hundred to $20,000. That is not to mention the hustle you have to go thru with lawyers, all the stress and time away from actual work. There is an industry of lawyers called “copyright trolls”that are just waiting for the wright moment to get you. So before you publish any pictures from the internet, here are important things to consider.

Copyright and licensing for online images

Copyright is a law that protects an original author and their work. It includes written content, pictures, images, videos, and any other content. So basically if you took a picture and it wasn’t for a job where somebody else had legal rights to that picture based on the contract- than you own copyrights to that picture. You are free to publish it. It is the best and the most safe way of using images online.

Also there are company that sell their pictures and give you a license to use it. Here is where you have o be very careful. Make sure you fully understand the license and it’s stipulations. For example, some licenses will tell you that the picture cannot be used for commercial use. Some will limit how many times or on how may websites you can publish it on. Others will tell you that you have give credits to an author of the image. So just read it and obey it.

Never assume that you can use somebody’s image  and just give them a credit and you are good to go. Attribution doesn’t protect you agains copyrights laws. Alway ask the author and never publish their work without proper approvals.

Free licenses

There are plenty of websites that offer free online images. But how can you know for sure if you can use them? This is the area that you have to be super careful. I have talked to one blogger who got penalized for using “free images”. How? Well, there was a small print that you were supposed to credit the author. Remember those copyright trolls we talked about earlier? Some websites are just a trap- pictures are set up and they are just waiting for you to use it to get you. You have to remember- free doesn’t always mean free. Another thing to consider- is the person publishing the picture to you the truthful copyright owner?

Wikipedia put together a list of Free image resources. But you still have to make sure you obey their policy- things like format of the image, content and any other copyright issues. So do you homework and be extra careful with free license images.

Public Domains

Images that are placed on public domain are not protected by copyright law and their use is not restricted. There are tons of great quality pictures available. But always make sure if attribution is required. One of the example of public domain would be Wikimedia Commons. But always check the terms of the website and follow their rules.

Fair Use Images

Fair use laws includes exceptions to copyrights. Those would include images that are used for educational purposes or images that may benefit the public. Examples would be- a picture you use when writing a product review. But you always have to consider this- what seems like a fair use to you may not be that in the court. So think twice and use extra caution.

To Summarize…

General rule for using online images is to always assume that the picture is protected by copyright. There are plenty if websites that allow you to purchase pictures and images from an author- ex. PhotoDune, iStock Photos, Adobe Stock, and many more. It may be worth paying few dollars and avoiding huge penalties. Always read fine print and license details and use caution.

We would love to hear if you had any experience with copyright trolls, or what is your best practice when using online images. Remember- sharing is caring.