“My pictures? I took them from Google.” “Look on Joe Competitor’s site, he has a nice photo, I would like it on my site.” “Go to this URL, and take this photo for my brochure.” These phrases, I have heard them often and from several different clients. So it seems to be a common mentality. I would like to correct some facts about internet rights.
First, let’s start with an observation: just because it’s on the internet and you can find anything on Google doesn’t mean you can use it. Copyright and intellectual property rights also apply on the Internet. In the same way that we speak of plagiarism when a student “copy-pastes” a text on Wikipedia, you infringe these rights if you use a text, an image, or even a typeface without having the permission of the creator.
In the fonts, if you go for example to a site like dafont.com, you will see next to each font the rights granted. Public domain, Free for personal use, Free for commercial use, etc. You should be aware of these different licenses and comply with them.
For images, the famous “Google images” is absolutely to be avoided! It’s the best way to end up with images that you don’t have the rights to, and possibly get yourself into trouble. There are free image sites, such as Pexels and Pixabay, or paid image banks such as iStock or Shutterstock.
And for texts, there is no magic solution… You hire someone to write them (there are people who specialize in writing) or you do them yourself. But I would suggest, if you don’t have a special talent for writing, to go to a specialist, because a text written by an amateur can be spotted immediately (especially if there are mistakes. .. outch!)
Don’t hesitate if you have any questions or suggestions for resource sites!