This is a United States federal law and, therefore, uniform across all states. What is Copyright? Copyright is protection created by the US Constitution that gives virtually every author the exclusive right to use or reproduce their work. The focus is on images and photos found by searching the internet and finding an online photo suitable for your needs. I will not talk about using images from a brand’s website. Today I want to discuss using photos and images found online and photo/image copyright laws. That one always shocks me, because, again, I would think people would know that Google is a good resource and not a free photo site. I usually go on to ask how many people have used an online photo straight from Google Images.

When I speak on this topic, one of the questions I ask the audience is how many people have had an online photos or something they posted online stolen. It should be assumed that every online photo, design, or written work you find online is protected by copyright, whether here in the US or from another country extending such rights, unless otherwise indicated. I always thought everyone knew that copying and pasting photos, images, or any content found on the internet was a definite no-no. Remember that “A picture is worth a thousand words” adage? Photos and images are especially important for storytelling. From an aesthetic perspective, it’s a good idea, especially when the online photo has something to do with the content. Most SEO experts suggest using at least one photo in every blog post.

Another word for running from the law