Can I reuse photos from a news website on my commercial site if I keep the same attribution?
Asked 1/26/2016
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I found several photos on a news website that I’d like to use on my commercial website. The images show third-party copyright credits, but I can’t identify or contact the original photographer. If I copy the photos and display the same copyright attribution shown on the news site, is that enough to make it legal? If not, what is the proper way to determine whether I can use them?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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I have seen few photos on a news website and I want to use these images on my commercial website. All these images have third party copyrights mentioned. How to know if it is OK to use these images with exact same copyright attributions?
You contact the copyright owner of each image and secure permission to use the image. You can't just take the image from the web site and use it yourself.
Is it OK to use these photos in exactly same manner with same attributions?
No.
Whether the image is a stock photo or not doesn't change the answer, but since you've tagged your question stock-photography, take a moment to consider how stock photography works. When you license a stock image, you specify how long you want to use the image, how you want to use the image (editorial, advertising, internal, etc.), where you want to use the image (online, print, video, etc.), whether you want an exclusive license, and more. Next, the provider figures out how much they'll charge you for the kind of license you specified. Finally, you pay them money in return for the right to use that image. Considering that, if I see that image on your web site and want to use it on my web site, do you think the owner of said image will say that I don't need to pay to use it because you've already paid? The answer is no. If I want to use the image, I have to get my own license from the owner.
I would love to use these on my commercial website but I can't find the photographer who took these so that I can ask his permission.
Frankly, that's a lame excuse, and the obvious rebuttal is that if you can't find the copyright owner then you can't use the image. It took me all of 15 seconds to find a Twitter account for Roland Hoskins, and about as long to find an e-mail address for Qantas media contacts. Even if you can't find the right party yourself, you could always contact the Daily Mail Online at one of the many phone numbers or e-mail addresses given in its impressed and ask for their help.
Originally by user4262. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4262
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
No. Keeping the same attribution does not give you the right to reuse the images on your commercial website.
The news site likely has its own license or permission to publish those photos, and that permission does not automatically extend to you. To use the images legally, you must get permission or a license from the actual copyright owner or authorized licensing agency for each photo.
If the images are stock photos, you would normally license them for your specific use, and the license terms may limit how, where, and how long you can use them, including whether commercial use is allowed.
If you cannot identify or contact the copyright owner, the safest assumption is that you do not have permission to use the photos. In that case, the best option is to find alternative images from a legitimate stock library or create your own.
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