If it’s on the internet, it’s fair game, right? WRONG! How many of us have done a Google search for an image and used it on our website or blog? Don’t be shy, I see all those hands meekly going up.
Technically, all content on the web is copyrighted to the original creator. In the earlier days of the web, it was the wild west – grab an image and go with it. But today, the search results for an image are going to be largely made up of images from sites like IStockPhoto, ShutterStock and Getty Images – sites that license the use of their images for a fee. These sites even have sophisticated software that finds sites that are using their images online.
This was brought to light this past week when a client of mine got a bill from Getty Images to the tune of $1000 for using one of their images on their website. This client found the image in a Google search and the image was not tagged in any way to Getty Images. Maybe you’ve noticed the same image appear in a search multiple times. You may have even noticed that one of the images has a watermark (a faint screen of the site name) across the front of the picture. That image would be the original royalty image and while you can right click and save the image, it will have the site’s watermark across it. But you may find the same picture without a watermark. While you can click and grab this “clean” version, you are infringing on the copyright of the image.
In my client’s case, they got a letter explaining that even if they removed the image, that did not remove their liability due to the use of the image and still owed the $1000. It went on to say, if they wanted to use the image, they could pay the additional license rights. Needless to say, they were shocked.
My graphic artist tells the story of a client that used an image that was purchased from Getty Images for use on a brochure. But the client liked the image so well that they decided to use it on a billboard. As luck (or misfortune) would have it, someone from Getty Images actually saw the billboard and they received a bill for $10,000.
To be safe, you’re best bet is to purchase your images from one of the sites like IStockPhoto.com, ShutterStock.com, DepositPhotos.com or one of the many other royalty sites. For a website or blog, most images will be under $5.
There are also a few royalty-free sites that have photos, clipart and vector art you can use. Here are a few sites to check out:
- www.sxc.hu – StockXChng has a large assortment of free images. Be aware – in some searches the first row of results are for paid sites, but the lower rows are free.
- www.pixabay.com – This site has thousands of public domain images that can be used without attribution requirement to the original author
- www.freedigitalphotos.net – This site requires you attribute FreeDigitalPhotos.net somewhere on the page where you use the image or pay $3 – $10 without crediting them.
- www.stockphotosforfree.com – Over 100,000 photos in many categories you can use after you register.
- www.unrestrictedstock.com – This site provides many vector graphic images, icons and hand drawn images you can use for free.
Remember, when it comes to images, it’s better to pay a little than get a big bill later.
Gary Wagnon is the founder of the Ninja Marketing Dojo, designed to help businesses master online marketing. The Dojo offers a weekly webinar/live training covering a different subject each week, varying from Facebook, Google + and Twitter to blogs, content marketing and all other components of online marketing.
