Copyright and Using Images in Blog Posts
Adding an image to your blog post can make a big difference on how easy the post is on the eyes. Good use of images grab reader?s attention.
Locating images can be frustrating and time consuming because you can?t just use any image you like in blog posts. Why? Because unless stated otherwise the law automatically grants full ?copyright? over any creative work a person makes. Using copyrighted image exposures you to the risk of breaking copyright law which is why most bloggers use images licensed under Creative Commons.
Creative Commons, founded in 2001, is an organization which provides free content license (i.e. creative commons license) that people can apply to their work. When you license your work with creative commons, you are giving people the permission to use it without having to ask permission, provided they use it in the manner stated in the creative common license.
The reason people use creative commons licenses is to make it easier for everyone to share and adapt creative work without the concern of copyright law. Creative commons licenses are used for books, websites, blogs, photographs, films, videos, songs and other audio & visual recordings.
Creative Commons Flickr Photos
The most common source of creative commons images used by bloggers is Flickr. Unfortunately many assume Flickr images are licensed under creative commons and allowed to be used. This isn?t the case; images marked as ?All Rights Reserved? are copyrighted and require permission from their creator.
Images marked as ?Some Rights Reserved? means a creative commons license applies. Always check to see which license applies when using a photo from Flickr to ensure you only use the image in the manner specified by the license.
People can choose from a range Creative commons licenses for their Flickr photos. Each license imposes different restrictions on how you use the images. Below is what each license means: