Use of images from the internet and copyright

timer 3 min read

Running a business often involves the use of various graphics. You publish images on your website, flyers or social media, often without realising whether the images in question are encumbered by copyright. If the content is encumbered by copyright then there may be unpleasant consequences that are better avoided.

Before using content that is not your own, it is worth reviewing the following elements to find out on what basis we can use it:

    • type of licence
    • right of publicity
    • right of quotation

Type of licence

In short, a licence is the conditions an author places on sharing his or her work. We can distinguish - in the case of Creative Commons, a set of ready-made rules:

    • CC0 – no copyright
    • CC BY – the author expects a signature
    • CC NC – the author does not allow you to make money using his work
    • CC SA – the author expects that in your alterations you should apply the existing distribution rules of this work

The aforementioned rules may be combined with each other, resulting in a designation such as CC-BY-NC. Would you like to find out more? Take a look at the website: https://creativecommons.org/about/cclicenses/

Right of publicity

The use of photographs from the Internet often also involves the use of someone's image. However, it may happen that a person does not like the use of their face to represent, for example, your product. If the image was copyrighted, such a person can file a lawsuit, expect a public apology and financial compensation.

To avoid this, it is essential to use images with the right licence in the first place. We mentioned a couple of them earlier, the most secure being CC0. This licence doesn't actually restrict you in anything regarding the use of the image.

There are also exceptions that are worth bearing in mind when you want to circumvent the obligation to have consent for the use of an image:

    • if the person is part of a gathering / larger whole, e.g. crowd, landscape
    • if the person is well-known, exercising public functions - in this case there is a risk of receiving letters from the person's lawyers based, for example, on personal interests

Right of quotation

When using someone else's work, we need to remember 3 conditions.

  1. Marking - the work is not ours, so we have to mention it
  2. Indication of authorship - we must include information on who is the author of the work in question
  3. Citation - must be justified by explanation, critical analysis

Where to download images from?

Google search and Creative Commons can be used, with appropriate modification of settings.

Another way is to use sites that have a database of images under Creative Commons licences. I personally use Pexels and Pixabay.

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