Finding Images in Public Domain
2009-05-29 14:07 | Posted by Tejvan Pettinger | Permanent Link | Blogging
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If you wish to use images, you need to be careful of copyright. These sources make sure that the images you use are in the public domain and free to use. However, you still need to check licence agreement, you will probably need to acknowledge source e.t.c.
1. Wikipedia Commons
If you wish to find an image of a person or place which is in public domain, Wikipedia or Commons Wikipedia is a good source.
E.g. for Nelson Mandela :
2. Flickr Creative Commons
If you visit advanced search at Flickr You can search through images which are licensed under a creative commons licence. Just click the box 'search by creative commons'
N.B. Creative Commons means you need to still acknowledge author.
3. EveryStock Photo
Everystock Photo - searches through different public domain sources. But, you still need to check licence and rules for each image and site.
Notes on Copyright Law
- Acknowledgement of the source does not mean an item can be copied. Giving the name of the photographer or author may help, but it is not sufficient on its own.
- A photo agency may licence a website / newspaper to use an image. But, they may be very strict in not letting others use the image. The newspaper may not mind if you copy image, but, the photo agency will.
- An image on an unimportant website may have taken an image from somewhere else, so be careful.
Fair Use of Images
Generally, using images does not fall into the category of 'fair use'. However, under certain criteria images of dead people can fall into this criteria.
Fair use rationale - For US copyright Law
- This image is a significant photo of a famous dead individual.
- This image is of much lower resolution than the original (copies made from it will be of an inferior quality).
- The image is being used for informational and educational purposes only by a not-for-profit organisation.
- Its inclusion in the article adds significantly to the article because it shows the subject of this article.
- There is not a free image available.
Royalty Free
Royalty Free means under a certain restrictions you can use the image without having to pay. But, note that the license may be restrictive for certain purposes.