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Copyright

Finding images, citing, and appropriate use of images and copyright.

Images & Copyright Research Guide

 

Looking for an image for a presentation or paper? A bit concerned that you don't really know if it's copyright-protected or maybe in the public domain. Not sure how to cite an image? What about statistical charts? If you found it on Google Images, is it copyrighted?

Begin by learning more from the video on the left. 

Stedman, K. (2016). Copyright or Wrong? A Brief Guide to Finding and Using Online Images. 

 

In-depth content about images & copyright can be found here.

When Copyright Restrictions Don't Apply to Images

There are many ways to find images that you can use without worrying about copyright restrictions. The important ones are:

Find and use images with a Creative Commons license. 

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. Their copyright licenses provide a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use creative work — on conditions of the creator's choice. CC licenses let creators easily change copyright terms from the default of "all rights reserved" to "some rights reserved." Creative Commons licenses are not an alternative to copyright. They work alongside copyright and enable creators to modify copyright terms to best suit their need

Use images under the Fair Use provision. 

A provision in copyright law that allows for the use of copyrighted works under some specific circumstances and particular purposes such as criticism, comment, scholarship, or research. Fair use is determined by the following four factors (from Chapter 1, Section 107 of the Copyright Law):

  • the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
  • the nature of the copyrighted work
  • the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
  • e use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work

Use Images that are in the Public Domain. 

When a work is not covered by copyright (because the copyright term has expired, the creator has released the work, or the work was never copyrighted), it is in the public domain. The public then holds the right to the work.

Use Images from Subscription Databases.  

As a member of the Trevecca Community, you are entitled to use materials that are licensed by Waggoner Library, such as our databases. Many of these products contain images. If you need images for an assignment that will exist in a physical form or will exist in a virtual form inside Blackboard, you can freely use the copyrighted images in these databases. The subscription costs cover the licensing fees. However, if your project will exist on the free web, you may not use these images.

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