When can I use images I find on the web? How can I tell if they are protected or open domain? What consequeces ae there for using an image you found somewhere else without consent? Im new to all this, help me please.
In the US (and I believe most other countries) images are automatically copyrighted as soon as they are created. You can tell if an image is in the public domain if there is a statement from its creator that explicitly states that it's in the public domain. If it doesn't say that, assume you cannot use it. The consequences of copyright infringement? If you pick an image that originated from Getty Images or a similar stock photo site, they can come after you for 1000s of dollars. A couple of good alternatives: - Go to Flickr, select "Advanced Search", scroll down the page and tick the boxes that say "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content" and "Find content to use commercially", then do your search. You'll end up with lots of photos where the creators have explicitly stated they allow commercial use. - Wikipedia has a list of public domain image resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain_image_resources - istockphoto.com has lots of professional images that you can use royalty-free for as cheap as $1
There are many places that you can find free images, just do a Google search for public domain images. Alternatively, if you find an image on a site that you really want, you can always try to contact the owner to see if you can have permission to use it. Just make sure you get something in writing.
Just like any other image service, you need to get permission from the copyright holder to use an image from photobucket. It's complicated there because a lot of people post images to their accounts that they themselves don't have the rights to. So be aware, even if you get permission from a photobucket user to use a photo he's posted, that person might not have the legal right to do so. If you are looking for images for a site you are making money from (via advertising or other means), it's best to use images that you have the clear rights to use. Stick with images that are explicitly in the public domain or shell out a $1 for a license.
I don't know the subject matter of your blog, but if you are actually writing about a product, or industry, you can get photos from the source. Just ask. If they like what you are doing, and how you do it, they will support you with information and images to help promote their stuff. There are many press photos that are just that...distributed to the press for the purposes of promotion...those are O.K. to use provided that you are using them in the way that they are intended, and you have the support of the individual entities. You would be surprised what you can get if you present it the right way.
Great advice Nonny. Also agree with hmansfield. I have never been turned down when requesting to use a noncommercial picture with attribution.
If you "find" them on the internet, it still means someone owns them. Best either pay for stock photos, or find a reputable site that lets you use stock images for free.