Im sure this has been answered somewhere but I didnt see this specifically so was wondering... I see a ton of images on multiple sites all over the web, same image different site, and Im wondering how you know what you can legally use in your own site? Is anything that isnt watermarked or Copywrited free game or technically should you never use images from other sources?

Hope this makes sence... Thanks,
BD

I don't know what country you're in, but I'm British and it's pretty mush the same the world over. All content is copyrighted automatically. This doesn't mean that you don't need copyright notices; it means that for basic protection, you could use this rule. Some people release the copyright; other require notice, or acknowledgement. If you could find an example, I could help you further. But what it boils down to is 'Am I going to bother complaining?' As with a lot of things, technically you could be prosecuted, but more most non-commercial ventures, the copyrighter won't protest - just like you wouldn't sue someone over 48p (or cents), but that doesn't mean you couldn't.

This image for example is on about 5 million different pages...

Looks like a fairly common STOCK ART photo. You can find images like that on any number of stock art sites. The big stock houses, like Getty Images and Jupiter will cost you hundreds of dollars for images. Then there are a whole bunch of micro-stock providers where you can buy different size/resolution royalty-free photos from $1 up.

Some micro-stock houses: www.istockphoto.com
www.dreamstime.com
www.123rf.com
www.stockxpert.com
www.bigstockphoto.com

Then there are freebies, www.sxc.hu is a huge one. Some images have usage restrictions so read the license agreements carefully.

I use www.sxc.hu and they usually have some good stuff for free. It always seems like when you use a free one, that they have the perfect image available to purchase...

In the UK Copyright Service:

Copyrighting, copywrite, copywright, copyrighted, along with other favorites such as copywritten, copywriter or copywrighter, are terms we hear and see a lot, and generally highlight a slight miss-understanding of legal terms.

1. Copy-right, copywrite or copywrightThese are simply very common misspellings of the word copyright.
2. Copyrighting, copyrighted and copywrittenA very common question is, “How do I go about copyrighting my work?” or “How do I get my work copyrighted, or copywritten?”. This demonstrates a miss-understanding of the legal position and how copyright actually occurs.
   Copyright itself is an automatic right that occurs at the point the work is fixed in a tangible manner, i.e. when it is recorded or written down. It is therefore not strictly speaking possible to have your work copywritten, (indeed this is not even a real word), as you will already hold the copyright.
   There is a distinct difference between the existence of copyright and registration. Copyright exists whether the work is registered or not, but without registration you may have a difficult time proving it in a dispute. It is perhaps best to think of registration as insurance in case someone decides to steal your work.
3. Copywriter or copywrighterThe word copywriter (sometimes miss-spelt as copywrighter), actually means someone who writes copy, especially in the field of advertising, but commonly, (though incorrectly), copywriter is also used to describe the UK Copyright Service - who register copyright works as evidence of the author’s claims.

Like the above, do your research and find out for sure so you don't get in any trouble. There are lots of free images as well as inexpensive ones on the web which you could use as long as you get permission. Then you will sleep better at night.

Unless the creator of the image has given you permission, you should NOT use the image. If it comes from one of the sites others have listed above, you should be safe because these artists have released the copyright. But just because it is on the internet, does not make it free. A lot of people misunderstand that.

I think using the image is fine as long as we are acknowledging the real source? Right?

Not necessarily!

ronaqdas, all depends on the licensing used for the image. If you buy an image from a stock agency like the abovementioned ones, you'll be typically able to use it in your commercial work and not able to redistribute it. Additional properties may apply too - like the number of copies of resulting work (i.e. the number of prints of a magazine, if used there) and other things listed in the licensing terms, so read them carefully even for a pay website - you may be obliged to buy an "extended license" to be fully legal.

I would suggest buying images for "serious" types of design - like numerous prints, logos or large posters.
I would suggest using sxc.hu and similiar ones for lesser kinds of needs - like blogs, generic web design, etc.

There are even images distributed as "public domain" - with really no obligations to the user. But i would not trust such a resource unless there is a really big organisation behind it..

LandynRed, tag, your it.

You got suckered by a necroposter

(they get me too)

^^ I stumbled upon this post while searching on Google; didn’t really dig it up. Besides, I don’t see anything wrong in necroposting or replying to such topics … what do you mean by getting suckered? LandynRed and Tsid were kind enough to help … there’s no need to ridicule them.



@Tsid, LandynRed


Thanks a lot for your replies.

Originally Posted by ronaqdas

^^ I stumbled upon this post while searching on Google; didn’t really dig it up.

It was your 5th post since joining. I'm curious, what did you search to find it?

There is a huge amount of information on this subject.

Anyway, take a look at this post:
http://www.webmaster-talk.com/conten...tml#post883338

read some of the links. Basically, using anything (content or images) without permissions will run you afoul of copyright law.