05:36
Faizan
To use any kind of image for which you are not the copyright holder, you need permission. Sometimes, simply asking the copyright holder does the trick, while other times (especially if a company owns the copyright), you will need to negotiate a license for use. A license is a legal agreement that specifies exactly how you can use the photo or art, and it usually costs money.
Track down the artist. If you find the image on a professional website or in a book, finding the artist is usually
easy, since the image should have a credit. If you cannot find the artist, you can search the U.S. Copyright Office's records online. (See the link in References.) You may search in person or pay the office's staff to conduct a search. The cost of a search in 2010 was $165 per hour.
Contact the artist to ask if the artist is the copyright holder. If the artist gives you permission, you may use the image. Many artists appreciate when people use their work and simply request that the user give them credit, while others have different conditions. To use the work, you must have permission from the artist and follow the conditions set.
Contact the copyright holder if the artist does not hold copyright. Copyright is automatic and goes to the author of a work in most cases; however, if the author was working for a company when the image was made, working on commission or managed to sell the copyright, the employer or buyer holds the rights.
Negotiate a license, if necessary. Many individual artists will give others permission to use their images via email or a letter. However, licenses are the norm among companies, and an increasing number of individual artists use licenses as well. Different entities have different licensing procedures; some have stock licenses and a fee table while others ask potential licensees to sit down with a lawyer.
Track down the artist. If you find the image on a professional website or in a book, finding the artist is usuallyeasy, since the image should have a credit. If you cannot find the artist, you can search the U.S. Copyright Office's records online. (See the link in References.) You may search in person or pay the office's staff to conduct a search. The cost of a search in 2010 was $165 per hour.
Contact the artist to ask if the artist is the copyright holder. If the artist gives you permission, you may use the image. Many artists appreciate when people use their work and simply request that the user give them credit, while others have different conditions. To use the work, you must have permission from the artist and follow the conditions set.
Contact the copyright holder if the artist does not hold copyright. Copyright is automatic and goes to the author of a work in most cases; however, if the author was working for a company when the image was made, working on commission or managed to sell the copyright, the employer or buyer holds the rights.
Negotiate a license, if necessary. Many individual artists will give others permission to use their images via email or a letter. However, licenses are the norm among companies, and an increasing number of individual artists use licenses as well. Different entities have different licensing procedures; some have stock licenses and a fee table while others ask potential licensees to sit down with a lawyer.
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