Image Copyright For Social Networks: How To Avoid Problems!

Those who work with social networks have plenty of reasons to be concerned about image copyrights. “Is this photo owned?”, “Can I use it for free?”, “Will I be reported for copyright infringement?” are questions that stay in the head of any social media! 

The popularization of content blogs has increased the demand for informative material. The Hosting Facts website says more than 4 million posts are published daily.

Such an intense flow of information gives the impression that the Internet is a lawless land, right?  

But violating copyright is a crime! And the person responsible faces legal consequences for publishing an image without authorization, even due to a lack of knowledge.

Therefore, we will explain what image copyrights are and how to avoid falling into this trap. Turn on!

What Are Image Copyrights?

Don’t confuse it with image rights, which authorizes you to photograph or film someone. Books, songs, and scholarly works are examples of protected works—computer software, architectural designs, blog articles, videos, photos, etc.

What Are The Types Of Copyright?

There are multiple licenses for a given use of the content, timing and any other restrictions on the material. See what they are:

Copyright

Known as “all rights reserved”, the license prevents the interested party from expressing the work without prior and categorical authorization from the author.

Copyleft

It establishes the right to copy and redistribute the material, allowing its free circulation and even modification, as long as the original author is credited.

Rights-managed (RM)

The Protected or Controlled Right restricts duration, use, positioning and geographic distribution. For each way of using the material, there is a specific RM.

Royalty-Free

It grants the buyer the right to use the image in multiple ways for one price. Thus, you pay for the license only once and can use it indefinitely in predefined ways.

Public Domain

By “falling into the public domain”, the work can be reproduced, distributed or adapted without authorization. Despite this, authorship must still be credited.

How To Avoid Third-Party Image Copyright Issues?

With turns and turns, you find yourself in a dubious situation where you need to learn how to proceed. Could you take a look at our recommendations?

Request Authorization To Use The Image

Images whose use is limited often contain signs such as:

• watermark;
• copyright symbol (©);
• a note indicating the source or ownership of the picture.

In these cases, contact the source, explaining your use of the material. The rights owner can charge and set restrictions, which is not illegal.

Remember To Credit The Author

It is necessary to credit the photo, even if you have obtained express authorization from the author to use it. On social media, you can do this in many ways. See examples:

Instagram

Just comment on the creator’s name in the caption. An emoji can accompany the comment to illustrate the mention of the photograph.

Facebook

When subtitling, tag the author of the image if he has a Facebook profile. Writing “photo credit:” isn’t required, but it’s nice.

Twitter

If the author has both a personal and a work account, mention the @ of the work account when posting the image.

Authorship credits are indispensable on all other platforms ( YouTube, Pinterest, Flickr, WordPress…)

Consult The EDA

To find out if the material is copyrighted, visit the Copyright Office or request the survey. Each country has its office.

Search If The Image Is Copyrighted

To do this, open Google Images and type the term referring to the image you want to search for in the search field.

Then click on the “Tools” button and “Usage Rights”. When you do this, you will be presented with several usage rights options for you to choose from.

Use Stock Images

Some image banks use royalty-free images, so their use is free. There are good free options like Pixabay, Un-splash and Free Images. 

Produce Your Images

Please produce your images for the posts. This is the best option because, in addition to guaranteeing image rights, the brand can customize the content and convey its identity to it.

Also Read: How To Implement Relationship Marketing On Social Networks