This Is The Free Image License To Look For
I know many members are always asking where to find free images. And by doing a search here you'll find plenty of resources. But even free images can get you in some trouble because many are still copyrighted.
So what you want to look for when sourcing out a completely free image is what's called a cc0 licence - that's Creative Commons Zero Licence.
With a cc0 licence you can do pretty much anything with it. Here's a link to Creative Commons regarding the licence: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
99% of the images I use I buy or create - but every now and then I do use cc0. And The place I find cc0 licences for images is at https://www.pexels.com/
Here's the link to more information about a cc0 licence if you need it:
https://www.pexels.com/photo-license/
Hope this helps
I believe in you
Leo
NOTE: Please be sure of the usage available for any images you use - cc0 or otherwise.
Recent Comments
44
Unfortunately, Creative Commons isn't risk free, millions of images have been uploaded and labelled cc0 but the individual uploading them isn't the copyright holder and doesn't own the rights to use or distribute them.
For example, take a look at https://www.flickr.com/photos/53558245@N02/ all these images are labelled cc0 but "Daily Sunny" has just gathered together a collection of images from different photographers that she likes, she's not the copyright holder and can't make them legally available to use.
The same situation arises with free sites like Pixabay or Pexels who don't verify the identity of those uploading images to them and explicitly disclaim any liability for copyright infringement in their T&Cs;.
I'm afraid the only truly safe images are from stock libraries that offer financial indemnity against copyright violation, such as Stock Unlimited, Deposit Photos, Adobe, etc.
I'd normally say caveat emptor but sadly in regard to images it's "free" that's somewhat risky.
Thanks Rich appreciate the info. And it makes sense that any image depository will have a "cover our ass" disclaimer for themselves.
99% of the images I use I buy or create - but every now and then I do use cc0 -
I guess it really comes down to being really careful what you do and don't use.
Exactly!
The risk is small but a couple of members have come unstuck. I worry less about a member being sent a bill, although some of those from Getty that have ended up in court have been eyewatering, but more that copyright owners file DMCAs against a site without warning and tank them out of their hard earned rankings. It must be soul-destroying to see years of work go down the drain.
It also infuriates me that "free" stock libraries like Pixabay refuse to warn users about images they've downloaded that have subsequently had DMCAs filed against them at Pixabay and therefore knowingly leave those users wide-open to suffering the same fate, e.g.
https://lumendatabase.org/notices/13209655
Hey, Rich. It was suggested that I direct my question to you, as you seem quite knowledgeable. Would you mind if I PMed you with two or three specific examples to get your opinion?
Thanks for the info Leo, much appreciated :)
I was using pixabay, but I found that the images still had a higher CC licence. So I really appreciate this info. Thanks
Carl
I'm wondering if the images on www.pixabay.com are CC0 licensed? The website says that the images are royalty free, is it the same as a CC0 license? Thanks for the help!
Thanks, as long as the license has a CC0, then it is definitely a free image to use however way you like. Thanks for the help.
See more comments
Yes! This is exactly what I need. Thanks!