Copyright
Copyright protects the form in which literary, artistic, musical and dramatic works are expressed.
Images
Copyright protection is automatic and applies as soon as a work is in a fixed form. While copyright can be waived by a creator and does expire, with works entering the public domain typically 70 years after the death of the creator, permissions are generally required for copyright-protected images, including those that are publicly accessible on the Internet. This applies unless your intended use falls under an exemption to copyright infringement or is permitted under the terms of the license for a work. Permission requirements may depend on how you intend to use the copyrighted image. For example, the fair dealing exception may apply to the inclusion of an image in a lecture presentation, class assignment or thesis, but explicit written permission would be required to include an image in a publication or on a website. More information on fair dealing and educational exceptions.
There are a number of ways to source and select images for use. The information below outlines some of the options available.
UCalgary Licensed Image Collections
The University of Calgary licenses access to several image collections. A popular option for UCalgary students, faculty and staff is Colourbox opens a new window, which provides a wide variety of images. For additional licensed collections, which tend to be more subject specific, please review the database options found here. Of note, you must comply with licensing terms. Attribution is typically required, and the content from these licensed collections can generally only be used for teaching, instruction and course use, such as including them in lecture presentations and course assignments.
The University of Calgary also hosts publicly accessible digital collections opens a new window, many of which include images. Copyright information is provided for each individual image.
Public Domain, Creative Commons and Royalty Free Images
Public domain works are those in which copyright has expired or works that the creators’ have explicitly dedicated to the public domain. Images in the public domain are no longer protected by copyright and can be used without permissions or payment. This resource opens a new window can help you determine if an image is in the public domain or if it is still protected by copyright. Public domain images can often be identified if they have a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) opens a new window license associated with them.
Creative Commons (CC) images are under permissive licenses that generally allow copying and reuse without requiring explicit permissions. CC licensed images are still under copyright-protection, but the licenses permit specific types of reuse if certain conditions are met, such as providing attribution.
There are six Creative Commons licenses, that permit reuse. More information on CC licenses can be found here.
Royalty free generally refers to content that has been licensed or to which access has been acquired that permits use of the content without any additional permissions or payments.
It is possible to filter Internet search engine image results for openly licensed images. There are several popular online collections that offer public domain and Creative Commons images. For example, Pexels, Pixabay, Flickr Commons opens a new window and Wikimedia Commons opens a new window.
Whenever using licensed images, either institutionally licensed or Creative Commons licensed you must ensure you comply with the specific licensing terms for the image you have selected.
Attribution is a recommended best practice, even when licensing or copyright law does not require it.
For information on copyright, licenses and images please contact copyright@ucalgary.ca