Library Liaison
Copyright and Fair Use
Copyright guidelines protect creators’ rights by placing limits on if and how a creator's work can be used. Fair Use guidelines allow people to use limited amounts of copyrighted materials without the copyright holder’s permission in certain circumstances.
There are four factors to consider as you decide whether Fair Use applies to a situation:
1. Purpose and character of the use
2. Nature of the copyrighted work
3. Amount of the work being used in relation to the work as a whole
4. Effect of the use on the work’s potential value in the marketplace.
Using work published using a Creative Commons license is a good alternative when Fair Use doesn't apply. Creative Commons licenses allow people to more easily share and use each others' work by listing which rights creators reserve and waive.
When you are using images for a website, you will need to investigate the usage rights for every image you are using.
Creative Commons Image Search
- Creative Commons Search"Please note that search.creativecommons.org is not a search engine, but rather offers convenient access to search services provided by other independent organizations. CC has no control over the results that are returned. Do not assume that the results displayed in this search portal are under a CC license. You should always verify that the work is actually under a CC license by following the link."
- PixabayOver 1.5 million royalty free stock photos and videos.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Image GalleryThe United States Department of Agriculture maintains a database of images pertaining to their work and areas of purview. Because the images were mostly taken for the government, virtually all are in the public domain. Any images that are not in the public domain are marked as such.
Creative Commons Licences
Image posted with permission from the Atla Copyright and Fair Use LibGuide, available at https://atla.libguides.com/copyright.