This insights post is a summary of the blog post published by Beutler Ink. View the full post at: Commons Courtesy: Reusing Creative Commons-licensed media is easier than you think.
In the online world, there is a common misconception that if something is on Wikipedia, it must be completely and totally free for them to use however they want—especially images. Among certain unnamed news outlets , this practice happens on a very frequent basis.
There are different types of licensing online and it is important to understand each and how they can be used.
- Open-Source Licenses: Open licenses allow anyone to use an image without seeking special permission or paying fees.
- Fair Use: Fair Use is incredibly complex, but to oversimplify and shorten the explanation, Fair Use says that when a copyrighted image is needed for educational purposes, it can be used in a limited fashion.
- Fully Licensed: the image creator or copyright holder has granted permission for someone to use the image. It is usually stock houses that have these types of images.
To understand what type of image you are dealing with online, you will need to review the attribution information. Get more details about the types of licensing and finding attribution information for images at: Commons Courtesy: Reusing Creative Commons-licensed media is easier than you think.
