{"id":176,"date":"2013-09-20T20:06:41","date_gmt":"2013-09-20T20:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lendon.biz\/lcs_wp\/?p=176"},"modified":"2013-09-20T20:06:41","modified_gmt":"2013-09-20T20:06:41","slug":"is-a-picture-worth-1000-words-from-an-attorney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lendon.biz\/lcs_wp\/is-a-picture-worth-1000-words-from-an-attorney\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a picture worth 1000 words (from an attorney?)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pictures can make a page or post more attractive and inviting. And the right picture can really make a big difference. But where do you find “that” photo? You could use Google or another search engine to find that perfect photo. And when you do, can you legally use it?<\/p>\n

Many photos – such as those from commercial sites, and especially from stock photo sites, are almost always copyrighted and cannot be used without the owner’s written permission.<\/p>\n

There are also many photos where the owner has released it into the public domain. Sometimes the author gives full permission to use and modify the image. Other times, the author may put some restrictions on the use, such as attributing the image to the author. This attribution is done “behind the curtain” – search engines can see the author’s information, it is not visible on the web site – it won’t disturb your design.<\/p>\n

Creative Commons licenses<\/h2>\n

Usually when an author places some of their work in the public domain, they attribute it through one of the Creative Commons<\/a> licenses. Per the CC site, “Creative Commons helps you share your knowledge and creativity with the world.\u00a0Creative Commons develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical\u00a0infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and\u00a0innovation.”<\/p>\n

How do I search for a CC-licensed image?<\/h3>\n

There are several ways to find an image (or other digital work) that has a Creative Commons license<\/p>\n