How Can We Use Free Images on Our Blog Without Legal Problems?
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
In a blog post, an image is often almost as important as the text itself, since it attracts attention, gives a certain mood to the article, and also helps the reader get through a longer piece of content more easily. Because of this, it is completely natural that bloggers often look for suitable photos or illustrations on the internet that fit their writing. The simplest and cheapest solution often seems to be to search for something on Google, choose an image, and then insert it into the article. From a legal point of view, however, this is exactly where the problems can begin.
Just because an image is publicly available on the internet does not automatically mean that it can be used freely. It is important to distinguish between an image that anyone can view and an image that anyone can also use on their own website. A photograph or graphic may, as a general rule, be protected by copyright, so before using it, it is worth checking who the rights holder is and under what conditions they have allowed the image to be used.
Understanding Free Images and Creative Commons Licenses
There are many different labels that we can come across on the internet, so let us now go through them one by one in order to find our way more easily through this sea of concepts.
Examples include “free image,” “royalty-free,” “public domain,” or “Creative Commons.” However, these do not mean the same thing. One of the simplest cases is the public domain, when the work is no longer protected by copyright, or the rights holder has waived their rights to the broadest possible extent. The Creative Commons CC0 solution serves a similar purpose, under which the rights holder makes the use of the work free to the greatest possible extent.
The situation is different with Creative Commons licenses. In these cases, the author does not give up their rights, but determines in advance under what conditions others may use the work. This is important because the Creative Commons label itself does not mean that we can use the image without restrictions.
Among the best-known licenses is, for example, CC BY, which requires proper attribution of the author. In the case of CC BY-SA, in addition to this, attention must also be paid to publishing the modified version under the same or a compatible license. The CC BY-NC license only allows non-commercial use, which may already be a particularly important issue for a monetized blog or the website of a business. CC BY-ND, on the other hand, restricts the distribution of modified versions. Therefore, it is always worth reading the conditions of the specific license and not only checking whether some kind of Creative Commons label appears next to the image.
One of the most common mistakes bloggers make is downloading a photo directly from Google Images search results. Google, however, only shows where the given image is available; it does not grant permission to use it. Similarly, the common idea that simply naming the author or the source is enough is also incorrect. If the use of the image requires permission, it does not become lawful simply because the blogger writes the photographer’s name under it or links to the original website.
Free stock photo websites offer a much more convenient solution from this point of view. On platforms such as Pexels or Unsplash, a large number of high-quality images are available under simple conditions, even for business purposes. Nevertheless, it is still worth reading the current license terms on these websites. Pexels, for example, broadly allows the personal and commercial use of images, while expressly excluding certain cases. For example, an unchanged image may not simply be resold, and it is not permitted to create the impression that a person or brand shown in the image supports a particular product or service.
How to Use Images Safely on Your Blog
Unsplash also applies a permissive license, but there are restrictions here as well, and even more importantly, copyright permission does not necessarily resolve every other legal issue. A photograph may include an identifiable person, logo, trademark, artwork, or another protected element. In such cases, in addition to copyright, issues related to personality rights, image rights, or trademark law may also arise.
This is particularly relevant in the case of business-oriented blogs. If, for example, we use a photograph of a clearly identifiable person to advertise a product, this may create the impression that the person supports or recommends that particular product. A license to use an image does not necessarily provide the right to create such an impression.
The best solution is therefore to establish a simple and consistent verification process. Before uploading an image to the blog, it is worth finding the original source, checking the exact license, and seeing whether the planned use actually falls within its conditions. If necessary, the author’s name must be indicated, and it is also advisable to save the image URL, the date of download, and the license terms.
At first, this may seem like unnecessary administration, but in the event of a later dispute, it can be particularly useful. A screenshot of the license page or a saved link can help prove under what conditions the image was used.
If it later turns out that an image was uploaded to the blog without permission, it is advisable to remove it as soon as possible and then examine the original source and the license. If necessary, the rights holder can also be contacted. In such a situation, it is also a good idea to review earlier articles, especially if images have been obtained from the same source or in the same way for a longer period of time.
Having reviewed all of this, we can therefore conclude that one of the most important rules is that just because an image can be downloaded does not necessarily mean that it can also be used. The “free” label, a Google search result, or simply naming the source does not in itself provide legal certainty. It is much easier to spend a few minutes checking the license and the source before publication than to deal with a copyright complaint or formal notice later, so these are definitely things worth paying attention to.
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