Post #4: What I Know Now About Copyright

Using copyrighted material

Under most circumstances, you have to obtain permission from the author to use copyrighted material; even then, they may only grant you usage of 30 seconds of a song, or small snippets of their work.

In rare situations, you can use their work without requesting permission from the author. These cases would include it being for educational purposes, review, parody, or comedy. Additionally, it can also be transformative in some way. But that doesn't mean you can slap a fresh coat of paint on a picture and get away with it.

If you go the route of using it for something transformative, review, educational, or anything otherwise non-commercial, it's best to give credit to the original author out of courtesy.

Alternatives to using copyrighted content 

When in doubt, don't use it. There exist many sites that host public domain or creative commons images and music. Royalty-free content can also be used, but the current definition of what "royalty-free" really means is somewhat disputed. It can mean that you can use the content without having to pay a fee to the original creator, or it could also mean that you are free to use it unless in the case of commercial purposes.

3 Copyright-safe image sites

Getty Images - Royalty Free images, Stock photos, Vectors, Video Clips

Alamy Stock - Stock Images, Vectors, Video Clips

Unsplash - High resolution royalty-free images

3 Copyright-safe audio sites

Incompetech - Royalty-free music

NCS - Non-commercial music

• Note that if you plan to use this for commercial use, you DO need a license for this.

 Bensound - Royalty-free music