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Photos copyrights

by Roi07
20 replies
I stumbled upon Pixabay. They offer great stock photos for free and I'm allowed to change, modify, and use them for commercial purposes. Thing is, how can I check that the photo is actually for free and isn't sold under Istock\Fotolia etc and simply got uploaded to Pixabay?

Is there a tool that I can use that will do this test?

Thanks.
#copyrights #photos
  • Profile picture of the author ANDREIS
    Why would someone buy photos on Istock\Fotolia and then give those to you on Pixabay for free? Why would someone spend money to buy photos only to give them away for free losing money along the way?
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    • Profile picture of the author john01a
      Originally Posted by Roi07 View Post

      I stumbled upon Pixabay. They offer great stock photos for free and I'm allowed to change, modify, and use them for commercial purposes. Thing is, how can I check that the photo is actually for free and isn't sold under IstockFotolia etc and simply got uploaded to Pixabay?

      Is there a tool that I can use that will do this test?

      Thanks.
      That is a tricky issue when using sites that allow anybody to contribute. Maybe you could contact Pixabay and find out if they put any safeguards in place, to ensure that all the contributors are only uploading their own photos.

      I'm sure this is an issue that even Paid Royalty Free Image sites have... how to ensure that people who upload their images to sell on their site, are only uploading their own images, and not some else's.

      I haven't heard of a tool. But there is a possible (but probably not a very good) way... a very time consuming, inefficient but possible way. Use the "Search Google for Image" function. Basically, you're searching Google for sites that have used that image. And then go through the listings. And if it is on a Stock Photography site, maybe it'll be listed higher in the search results.

      Like I said, probably not a very good way. There's probably a better way, but this is what I can think of.
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    • Profile picture of the author john01a
      Originally Posted by ANDREIS View Post

      Why would someone buy photos on IstockFotolia and then give those to you on Pixabay for free? Why would someone spend money to buy photos only to give them away for free losing money along the way?
      It doesn't necessarily mean that the uploader bought the photos first. They could have taken the photo that they found on some website.

      Now, maybe that photo that they found on the website came from a Royalty Free Image site, where the site owner paid to use the image... and this visitor sees it, decides to copy it and upload it. Or, maybe it's the site owner's own image. Either way, it's a copyright violation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dano101
    Originally Posted by Roi07 View Post

    I stumbled upon Pixabay. They offer great stock photos for free and I'm allowed to change, modify, and use them for commercial purposes. Thing is, how can I check that the photo is actually for free and isn't sold under Istock\Fotolia etc and simply got uploaded to Pixabay?

    Is there a tool that I can use that will do this test?

    Thanks.
    Free and royalty free is 2 different things. Now they can issue you rights to use the pics for free. But if you plan on profiting or going commercial with the pic; Then you have to give credit to the owner and include their name and pay them their financial due. Similar to royal free music.

    Now if you are just using the pic for a small site then don't worry. But if you plan on taking that picture commercially on a big campaign; Then you should contact the actual owner before doing so.

    Because you will hate getting sued for using that pic even if people were buying your product and not the actual picture or logo.
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    • Profile picture of the author john01a
      Originally Posted by Dano101 View Post

      Free and royalty free is 2 different things. Now they can issue you rights to use the pics for free. But if you plan on profiting or going commercial with the pic; Then you have to give credit to the owner and include their name and pay them their financial due. Similar to royal free music...
      In the case of Pixabay, the photographers license their images under a public domain (CC0) license. Under this license, the photographers give you permission to use and modify their images, even for commercial purposes, and don't require attribution.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dano101
        Originally Posted by john01a View Post

        In the case of Pixabay, the photographers license their images under a public domain (CC0) license. Under this license, the photographers give you permission to use and modify their images, even for commercial purposes, and don't require attribution.
        But free doesn't mean exclusive rights once you are on the commercial mark and making big bucks.

        Trust me. The same clause is with free music. The shit may be free to you for bull crap use. But you can't advertise it without paying the artist while you are making money.
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        • Profile picture of the author john01a
          Originally Posted by Dano101 View Post

          But free doesn't mean exclusive rights once you are on the commercial mark and making big bucks.

          Trust me. The same clause is with free music. The shit may be free to you for bull crap use. But you can't advertise it without paying the artist while you are making money.
          I'm not talking about a Royalty Free Image, where the photography licenses their photo under a Royalty Free type license. I'm talking about a photo where the photographer, the owner of the copyrighted work, gives others permission to use their works in certain ways.

          In this case, the photographer licenses their work under a CC0 license [Here's the terms of a CC0 license]. You can use that work in a way allowed by the license. And, a CC0 license allows commercial use and doesn't require permission.

          The photographer, by choosing to add their photos to Pixabay, agrees to license that work under a CC0 license. The photographer didn't have to license their work under a CC0 license, they could have chosen another one... or create their own terms of use... or not grant any permission for use.
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          • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
            Banned
            Originally Posted by john01a View Post

            I'm not talking about a Royalty Free Image, where the photography licenses their photo under a Royalty Free type license. I'm talking about a photo where the photographer, the owner of the copyrighted work, gives others permission to use their works in certain ways.

            In this case, the photographer licenses their work under a CC0 license [Here's the terms of a CC0 license]. You can use that work in a way allowed by the license. And, a CC0 license allows commercial use and doesn't require permission.
            This is not quite correct.

            If you license a photo CC0 that means you are dedicating the work to the public domain and you have no control or say over the image whatsoever.

            If you use one of the CC BY licenses then you have a say and some control in what can be done with the image.

            See here:

            https://creativecommons.org/licenses/

            Again, if you license your photos CC0 you are committing them to public domain with no say in what can or can not be done with the images. If you want some control then you need to use one of the other CC licenses, and there are many of those.

            Attribution CC BY
            Attribution-NoDerivs CC BY-ND
            Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA
            Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA
            Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC
            Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs CC BY-NC-ND

            Here is a common example of one of the BY licenses.

            https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

            Cheers

            -don
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  • Profile picture of the author answergal
    I don't like to use anybody's stock photos or images, free or not. They all come with strings attached, like not for this or that, or you have to give attribution, etc.

    I can't spend all day reading the fine print on these things.

    I grabbed free Canva (also Picmonkey is free). These are great tools to do your own images, and the more you do, the faster you get at it. Plus, they can be a good source of traffic if you put a bit of "nice" in them.

    Use your own camera, mobile phone, whatever... take random photos that fit your theme and drag them into Canva or Picmonkey.

    Added value... use the same images for your blogs, social media shares etc... get lots of mileage. Get really good at it and you can do your own infographics and have people share them around. Stuff can go viral even

    I run in big blogging circles and I notice the trend on blogs is to do one nice image and make it "your brand"... means to use the same image on every post instead of always having to find a new one congruent to your topic.
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    • Profile picture of the author serryjw
      Originally Posted by answergal View Post

      I don't like to use anybody's stock photos or images, free or not. They all come with strings attached, like not for this or that, or you have to give attribution, etc.

      I can't spend all day reading the fine print on these things.

      I grabbed free Canva (also Picmonkey is free). These are great tools to do your own images, and the more you do, the faster you get at it. Plus, they can be a good source of traffic if you put a bit of "nice" in them.

      Use your own camera, mobile phone, whatever... take random photos that fit your theme and drag them into Canva or Picmonkey.

      Added value... use the same images for your blogs, social media shares etc... get lots of mileage. Get really good at it and you can do your own infographics and have people share them around. Stuff can go viral even

      I run in big blogging circles and I notice the trend on blogs is to do one nice image and make it "your brand"... means to use the same image on every post instead of always having to find a new one congruent to your topic.
      ------------------
      What would you with a 'public domain' photo of a very famous person that I want to use for my Amazon ebook.
      Thanks,
      Serry
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      • Profile picture of the author Kurt
        Originally Posted by serryjw View Post

        ------------------
        What would you with a 'public domain' photo of a very famous person that I want to use for my Amazon ebook.
        Thanks,
        Serry
        I would make sure that the image doesn't infringe on a person's "right to celebrity". Just because a picture is in the public domain doesn't mean you can use their "celebrity" to promote your own products.


        For example, the original "Little Shop of Horrors" movie is in the public domain. However, you can't take a clip or still image of Jack Nicholson from the movie and use it to promote your product.


        However, Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe are now in the public domain and you can use them to promote your products. But this doesn't mean every image or film clip of them is in the public domain.
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    • Profile picture of the author vikash_kumar
      Originally Posted by answergal View Post

      I don't like to use anybody's stock photos or images, free or not. They all come with strings attached, like not for this or that, or you have to give attribution, etc.

      I can't spend all day reading the fine print on these things.

      I grabbed free Canva (also Picmonkey is free). These are great tools to do your own images, and the more you do, the faster you get at it. Plus, they can be a good source of traffic if you put a bit of "nice" in them.

      Use your own camera, mobile phone, whatever... take random photos that fit your theme and drag them into Canva or Picmonkey.

      Added value... use the same images for your blogs, social media shares etc... get lots of mileage. Get really good at it and you can do your own infographics and have people share them around. Stuff can go viral even

      I run in big blogging circles and I notice the trend on blogs is to do one nice image and make it "your brand"... means to use the same image on every post instead of always having to find a new one congruent to your topic.
      Awesome Advice!
      That's what I like to do, when I need some viral traffic.

      Best Regards,
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Originally Posted by answergal View Post

      I run in big blogging circles and I notice the trend on blogs is to do one nice image and make it "your brand"... means to use the same image on every post instead of always having to find a new one congruent to your topic.

      Answergal,

      My own personal experience is just the opposite.

      Personally, I think using one image as your brand and then putting it "on every post instead of always having to find a new one congruent to your topic" is the lazy way out. How does this add value for your blog readers?

      Can you imagine a newspaper or magazine using the same image on every story they publish?

      To me, you have a logo for the purpose of branding all your content.

      It is not difficult at all to license small images for use on blogs that are less than $1 each. The "fine print" is the same for nearly all the images from most credible stock photo dealers and you don't have to give attribution in many cases.

      I believe that the graphics you use should enhance your blog and make it interesting and professional looking. I don't see how that is accomplished by using the same image on every post.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author Kurt
        Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

        Answergal,

        My own personal experience is just the opposite.

        Personally, I think using one image as your brand and then putting it "on every post instead of always having to find a new one congruent to your topic" is the lazy way out. How does this add value for your blog readers?

        Can you imagine a newspaper or magazine using the same image on every story they publish?

        To me, you have a logo for the purpose of branding all your content.

        It is not difficult at all to license small images for use on blogs that are less than $1 each. The "fine print" is the same for nearly all the images from most credible stock photo dealers and you don't have to give attribution in many cases.

        I believe that the graphics you use should enhance your blog and make it interesting and professional looking. I don't see how that is accomplished by using the same image on every post.

        Steve
        Using reputable stock image sites is good when you only need to use an image once and for yourself. I also suggest using them when you want to use a picture of a recognizable human face. While there are many pictures of people on the public domain sites, the question arises about whether the person in the picture has signed a model release form. Check each stock image site to be sure they have signed model release forms when you need to use a picture of a person where the face is recognizable.

        On the other hand, if the purpose for the images is to create something like web templates, pre-made PowerPoint templates, ebooks, squeeze page templates, or pre-made videos you want to sell to more than one person, extended licenses can be very expensive, especially if you want to include multiple images in your projects.

        For "resell" projects, public domain media can be a goldmine. Not only can you use and sell the images, so can your customers. You really can't do this with stock images. Just don't use images of people's faces without being 100% certain they have signed a model release form or don't use images of people where their face is identifiable. (Use the sides, backs, etc.)

        And do some due diligence/research for the images you use.
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    • Profile picture of the author Roi07
      Originally Posted by answergal View Post

      I don't like to use anybody's stock photos or images, free or not. They all come with strings attached, like not for this or that, or you have to give attribution, etc.

      I can't spend all day reading the fine print on these things.

      I grabbed free Canva (also Picmonkey is free). These are great tools to do your own images, and the more you do, the faster you get at it. Plus, they can be a good source of traffic if you put a bit of "nice" in them.

      Use your own camera, mobile phone, whatever... take random photos that fit your theme and drag them into Canva or Picmonkey.

      Added value... use the same images for your blogs, social media shares etc... get lots of mileage. Get really good at it and you can do your own infographics and have people share them around. Stuff can go viral even

      I run in big blogging circles and I notice the trend on blogs is to do one nice image and make it "your brand"... means to use the same image on every post instead of always having to find a new one congruent to your topic.
      Canva seems to be a great tool.
      Does it give me permission to upload the art I create there to my bussiness facebook page?

      I'm using their free templates, not my own photos.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    Do a reverse image search on Google using the URL of the image, not the page the image is on, and see what comes up.


    Also, check out the account of the uploader and see if they have a number of similar images, how old their account is, run a reverse image search on a few of their images, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    One good place to research an image is tineye.com
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  • Profile picture of the author Dano101
    Bottom line. Everything is free until you are a reputable site and accumulating millions of dollars. Then that's when people come and sue you.

    So if you plan on making a billion dollars while using that person's photo that was given to you for free by a 3rd party; Then maybe you should do your due diligence and contact and make a agreement with the actual owner before taking your site campaign to skies the limits.
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  • Profile picture of the author Useful Survival Tools
    I think the safest way for you to do is to place an attribution on the images especially if you are very particular about image copyright issues and also a link going back to the image source. Atleast you can always have an explanation in case someone notifies you of an image you uploaded on your site coming from Pixabay.

    Also, be careful when downloading and using images with people's faces showing on it, or if there are products wherein their brands are highly visible.
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    • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
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      Originally Posted by Useful Survival Tools View Post

      I think the safest way for you to do is to place an attribution on the images especially if you are very particular about image copyright issues and also a link going back to the image source..
      Copyright theft is copyright theft....placing a linkback and/or attribution after the fact is not a legal substitute for obtaining a legitimate license or permission to use in the first place.

      The safest way to know for sure you are legal --> is to purchase a real stock photo with a legit license for your intended end use.

      Cheers

      -don
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