Publish at December 09 2012 Updated April 23 2024
If you are among those who own a blog, publish content on the internet and social networks, it is important to properly credit the images. Due to ignorance of the law, forgetfulness, or negligence, many people use photos found randomly while wandering the web, without worrying about what they have the right to do and without indicating the source of the image. However, we have to be careful with this kind of practice.
Credits
The legal notices relating to intellectual or artistic property law are called "credits". They name the author of the photo and possibly, the agency he works for (such as Reuters, AFP...). The credits also make it possible to know who should be paid if the image is used or who should be asked for permission to use it.
Respecting Copyright and Authorship
In a post on her blog Paralipomènes, Michèle Battisti returns to the issue of authorship. The author of an image, whether he or she wishes to use his or her name or a pseudonym, is entitled to demand at any time that his or her full name appear - or not - next to an image belonging to him or her. Under French law, misspelling the author's name can lead to sanctions in court, as Ms. Battisti reminds us. So beware of absent-mindedness... And respect this rule: you must always mention the name of the author of an image, regardless of the license attached to this image.
The Mention "Rights Reserved"
In the case where the author cannot be found, it is common to note the mention of "Rights reserved" or "RR" in the credits. By writing this note, we stipulate that we do not know the author, but if he or she comes forward and can prove to be the author of the image, we are willing to respect his or her rights. In the event of a lawsuit, jurisprudence will still punish those who have worn the mention of "RR" as moral and financial damage inflicted on the author.
"Free of Rights"
Michèle Battisti also provides clarification on the notion of "free of rights" - often confused with free at all: "<<Rights-free>> ", on the other hand, has never meant rights-free. Not only is usage not free, as users pay a flat fee to use a photograph, but the extent of usage varies depending on the size of the fee paid." Understand, then, that you pay once, for a given size of a photo, and then you can use that image in a variety of ways.
In any case, you should always add credits to an image. This is even if you don't have to pay to use the image, and the author gives you permission to distribute, reproduce and transform it. Free licenses and Creative Commons licenses require, at a minimum, to display the name of the author and the type of license attached to his work. See, for example, the credit for the photo used to illustrate this article.
This credit requirement may be perceived as a constraint. But it pales in comparison to the possibility multiplied by digital technology to use images once reserved for professionals.
Reference
Michèle Battisti: Is there an obligation to credit a royalty-free photo? Paralipomena, September 12, 2012, still available at this address https://www.a-brest.net/article11269.html
Photo credit: JD | Photography / Foter / CC BY
Access exclusive services for free
Subscribe to our newsletter on pedagogy and educational technologies
You can also index your favorite resources and retrieve your viewing history.
Subscribe to the newsletterYou might also like:
The "commons", the way out of crises, including education
Many social models seem on the verge of collapse. Rather than sinking into pessimism, sociologists are looking at a third way that could supplant the idea of handing everything over to the market or the state: "The Commons".
Neutralize malware with reverse engineering
In a digital world, the means of attack or scam are adapting. To protect people and systems, cybersecurity experts must understand malware by analyzing it. Reverse engineering allows them to do this in order to develop protection methods.
Assume responsibility and make effective decisions in eight essential practices
In a knowledge-based organization, making good decisions is a crucial skill at all levels of the organization.
Restoring the Place of First Nations in Education
Since the end of September 2020, Canada has seen a few macabre stories surrounding indigenous communities. Various events have awakened the darker side of the country, which is known to be kind to the world. This reminder of the racism still present towards the First Nations has at least had the effect of rekindling a discussion in the Canadian educational spheres by seeking to better integrate the culture of these founding peoples.
