Post by Sumeria on Apr 22, 2012 17:34:42 GMT -5
Where and how to find licensed images.
www.flickr.com/
www.sxc.hu/
www.morguefile.com/
www.deviantart.com/
search.creativecommons.org/
Remember that ANY image that says "all rights reserved" means that you don't have any rights to use that image unless it's for parody or educational use. Role-play is not educational or parody.
Attribution!
Check the entire page a stock image is on to see if you have to give credit back. If you do then credits should be shown somewhere on your image. If it doesn't ask for attribution then you're fine. It's easy to miss this and it's not always required, but it's good to be aware of it and try to follow it. Putting "image from WEBSITE" isn't enough. But putting "Image from personname @ website" is.
About Copyright and Licensing
Q: What is copyright?
A: Copyright is a form of protection provided by the law to the authors of “original works of authorship.” By virtue of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, works are protected in all 160 countries that are party to the Convention, as well as various other laws such as the US copyright act.
Q: Does this apply to all images?
A: Yes, this applies to all images. From the time it is created, a photo or other image is automatically protected by copyright.
Q: What is copyright infringement?
A: Infringement can include a violation of the rights of the creator or rights holder. Examples of imagery infringement may include:
• Use of whole or part of an image without permission
• Use beyond the scope of a license or permission
• Adapting an image without permission (art rendering)
• Asking another photographer to identically recreate the image
Q: Who’s responsible when infringement occurs?
A: Responsible parties may include:
• The party that infringed (the photographer or the person that stole the image in the first place), even if unintentionally
• Employees or others who participated in the original infringement
• Anyone who published the infringing image, whether they had knowledge or not
• Anyone who authorized or encouraged infringement
Q: Why should I worry about copyright infringement?
A: Infringement of copyright may result in monetary damages, lawsuits, costly legal fees and under some rare circumstances, criminal charges.
Q: Surely no-one will be able to find one image in the whole of the internet?
A: New technology now enables copyright owners to identify unlicensed imagery and act to protect their rights. Imagery is ‘fingerprinted’ so that it can be tracked and found in use, even if it has been modified, recreated or if only part of the image has been used. The image is then flagged up to the copyright owner so that they can check if the correct license is held.
Q: I’m using an image I found through a Google Image search. If it’s on the internet, doesn’t that mean it’s free?
A: No. Just because an image is on the internet, it doesn’t mean the image is free to use. You may still need the correct license to use it. There is a difference between an image being online and an image being “in the public domain” (the term given to content that is not owned or controlled by anyone).
Q: If someone else built my website, how will I know when the licenses will expire?
A: Don’t assume your designer or image provider will contact you about an expiring license. Where the license to the image expires (which is generally not the case with royalty-free images), the imagery provider may send a renewal notice to the purchaser of the license, so your designer may receive this notice if they licensed it on your behalf.
It is best to get invoice numbers or sales order numbers for the images on the website and contact your imagery provider to confirm if the license is connected to your website. It’s also wise to keep all your licenses organized so that you know the scope and expiration dates of each license.
Q: I’m just a blogger and my site is non-commercial. Can I use images for free?
A: In most cases, no. Unless your use is specifically permitted by copyright law, all the images on your website must be properly licensed, regardless of the nature of your site. You can, however, license very inexpensive images from many imagery providers that are perfect for web use and will be properly licensed.
Q: How can I be sure I’ve taken the appropriate steps in licensing an image?
A: There are various places that you can go for information; hopefully this website will give you a basic understanding of the potential risks you need to bear in mind. You should consult with your legal counsel if you have specific questions. Please also see our resources section for more information and also take a look at our ‘what you need to do’ section.
Q: Is it possible to get free images, legally?
A: Yes. There are sources of free, legal images.
Q: Does that mean these free images have no copyright?
A: No. Copyright is automatically granted to the creator of any image. That copyright holder must specifically declare the image as free to use.
Q: What is a Creative Commons license?
A: Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons licenses. These licenses allow creators of content (which includes imagery) to communicate which rights they reserve, and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators. Restrictions include whether an image can be used for personal or commercial purposes, and whether or not the photographer requires attribution or credit.
Q: Do I need to buy images for personal use, or can I use them for free?
A: You will need to acquire a license for personal use and for commercial use. There are various sources of free stock images and free clip art that you can use, but these free images must still be accompanied by a license unless the use is specifically permitted by copyright law.
Read more about this on this site, I only copied the things that would pertain to Image use on WW.
www.flickr.com/
Search for the item you wish to find, click "advanced search", scroll to the bottom of the page, and click "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content " and then check the box that says "Find content to modify, adapt, or build upon". This will only bring up images that you will have the rights to use/edit.
www.sxc.hu/
Search for the item you'd like to use. Choose the image and scroll down to where it says "Availability" under the image. This will tell you what restrictions are on the image. Be sure to follow the link to the restrictions and read them well so you know your rights.
www.morguefile.com/
Search for the item you'd like to use. Choose the image and scroll down beneath the image. Here will be the license info. Images you can use typically say "You are allowed to copy, distribute, transmit the work and to adapt the work. Attribution is not required. You are prohibited from using this work in a stand alone manner." Be sure to read the license.
www.deviantart.com/
On the left side of the main page click "Resource & Stock Images", on the next page click "stock images" (or just click here. Search for what you need and be sure to read the photo's description for any terms/conditions for using the image.
search.creativecommons.org/
On the check boxes under the search bar, simply make sure that "Modify adapt and build upon" is checked, and click the site you'd like to find images on. Then be sure to read the page yo ufind the image on in case there's additional terms.
Remember that ANY image that says "all rights reserved" means that you don't have any rights to use that image unless it's for parody or educational use. Role-play is not educational or parody.
Attribution!
Check the entire page a stock image is on to see if you have to give credit back. If you do then credits should be shown somewhere on your image. If it doesn't ask for attribution then you're fine. It's easy to miss this and it's not always required, but it's good to be aware of it and try to follow it. Putting "image from WEBSITE" isn't enough. But putting "Image from personname @ website" is.
About Copyright and Licensing
Q: What is copyright?
A: Copyright is a form of protection provided by the law to the authors of “original works of authorship.” By virtue of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, works are protected in all 160 countries that are party to the Convention, as well as various other laws such as the US copyright act.
Q: Does this apply to all images?
A: Yes, this applies to all images. From the time it is created, a photo or other image is automatically protected by copyright.
Q: What is copyright infringement?
A: Infringement can include a violation of the rights of the creator or rights holder. Examples of imagery infringement may include:
• Use of whole or part of an image without permission
• Use beyond the scope of a license or permission
• Adapting an image without permission (art rendering)
• Asking another photographer to identically recreate the image
Q: Who’s responsible when infringement occurs?
A: Responsible parties may include:
• The party that infringed (the photographer or the person that stole the image in the first place), even if unintentionally
• Employees or others who participated in the original infringement
• Anyone who published the infringing image, whether they had knowledge or not
• Anyone who authorized or encouraged infringement
Q: Why should I worry about copyright infringement?
A: Infringement of copyright may result in monetary damages, lawsuits, costly legal fees and under some rare circumstances, criminal charges.
Q: Surely no-one will be able to find one image in the whole of the internet?
A: New technology now enables copyright owners to identify unlicensed imagery and act to protect their rights. Imagery is ‘fingerprinted’ so that it can be tracked and found in use, even if it has been modified, recreated or if only part of the image has been used. The image is then flagged up to the copyright owner so that they can check if the correct license is held.
Q: I’m using an image I found through a Google Image search. If it’s on the internet, doesn’t that mean it’s free?
A: No. Just because an image is on the internet, it doesn’t mean the image is free to use. You may still need the correct license to use it. There is a difference between an image being online and an image being “in the public domain” (the term given to content that is not owned or controlled by anyone).
Q: If someone else built my website, how will I know when the licenses will expire?
A: Don’t assume your designer or image provider will contact you about an expiring license. Where the license to the image expires (which is generally not the case with royalty-free images), the imagery provider may send a renewal notice to the purchaser of the license, so your designer may receive this notice if they licensed it on your behalf.
It is best to get invoice numbers or sales order numbers for the images on the website and contact your imagery provider to confirm if the license is connected to your website. It’s also wise to keep all your licenses organized so that you know the scope and expiration dates of each license.
Q: I’m just a blogger and my site is non-commercial. Can I use images for free?
A: In most cases, no. Unless your use is specifically permitted by copyright law, all the images on your website must be properly licensed, regardless of the nature of your site. You can, however, license very inexpensive images from many imagery providers that are perfect for web use and will be properly licensed.
Q: How can I be sure I’ve taken the appropriate steps in licensing an image?
A: There are various places that you can go for information; hopefully this website will give you a basic understanding of the potential risks you need to bear in mind. You should consult with your legal counsel if you have specific questions. Please also see our resources section for more information and also take a look at our ‘what you need to do’ section.
Q: Is it possible to get free images, legally?
A: Yes. There are sources of free, legal images.
Q: Does that mean these free images have no copyright?
A: No. Copyright is automatically granted to the creator of any image. That copyright holder must specifically declare the image as free to use.
Q: What is a Creative Commons license?
A: Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons licenses. These licenses allow creators of content (which includes imagery) to communicate which rights they reserve, and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators. Restrictions include whether an image can be used for personal or commercial purposes, and whether or not the photographer requires attribution or credit.
Q: Do I need to buy images for personal use, or can I use them for free?
A: You will need to acquire a license for personal use and for commercial use. There are various sources of free stock images and free clip art that you can use, but these free images must still be accompanied by a license unless the use is specifically permitted by copyright law.
Read more about this on this site, I only copied the things that would pertain to Image use on WW.
