Copyright Basics by the Book
- Copyright is automatic: Once an image or font is created, it’s protected—no registration is required by the creator.
- Copyright protects usage: Copying, distributing, or modifying requires permission unless an exception like fair use applies.
- Copyright awareness: Adopt it into your workflow to avoid missteps.
- Creative Commons is like borrowing a book from a library: You can read, share, and take notes, but do not copy or claim as your own. Always check the license details and credit the creator.
Source Images and Fonts Wisely
- Royalty-free rewards: Sites like Unsplash and Pixabay offer free, legal images with clear terms.
- Trouble-free text: Use Google Fonts for web projects or Adobe Fonts with Creative Cloud for simple licensing.
- Double-check the terms: Even “free” content can have limits—look for restrictions on commercial use or modifications.
Have the Funds? License Like a Pro
- Choose your rights: Exclusive, one-time, or perpetual—know what fits your needs.
- Font detective work: Double-check licensing terms before buying, especially for high-traffic web projects. Think of it as detective work for design peace of mind. Match font licenses to your use, whether web embedding or commercial print.
- Save your agreements! Avoid future headaches by saving licensing docs.
Pay Attention to Web-Specific Font Licensing
- Don’t go rogue: Hosting fonts without proper rights invites trouble.
- Check embedding rights: Web fonts often require WOFF or WOFF2 licenses.
- Legitimate solutions: Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts simplify web licensing. Google Fonts are free! Adobe Fonts can be embedded as long as you have a Creative Cloud license.
Avoid the Lawless Landscape
- Snap your own pics: Not only does this ensure you own the rights and skip the fees, but your students will always be more relatable and interesting to your community than any stock or fancy image.
- Hire a pro: Don’t have the right gear or skills? Hiring a photographer ensures you get top-notch images for your communications—and the rights to use them.
- Note on Image Release Forms: Don’t forget signed releases if you’re photographing students.
Still Tempted to Grab from Google?
- Validate sources: Use reverse image search tools like Google’s to check if images are free to use—no surprises later!
- Play it safe: When in doubt, don’t use an image or font that you don’t license.
- Public domain does not equal no rules: Images placed in the public domain or whose copyright has expired are free to use, but mislabeling happens. If you think you’re using public domain images, cross-check the legitimacy of the claim.
- Fair Use Note: Permits limited use of copyrighted material without permission for transformative purposes (e.g., teaching, research), but it’s subjective and case specific. Don’t assume—some are willing to go to court over it!
What about AI generated images?
You may have noticed that I used AI-generated images within this post. So how do those fit into copyright law? As AI is still a developing technology, laws and regulations haven’t quite caught up. As of the time of this writing, the U.S. Copyright office has published two of three reports on copyright issues related to artificial intelligence.
- Material generated wholly by AI is not copyrightable: Humans can use AI within their original, copyrightable works, but prompts alone do not constitute human authorship.
- Use AI when the stakes are low: AI generated artwork can be a fun way to spice up a blog post or presentation, but don’t use it to represent your organization’s brand or you won’t be able to copyright it.
- More clarity and laws around AI are needed. In the meantime, feel free to play around with AI images and familiarize yourself with this emerging tool.
