There are both ethical and legal factors to keep in mind when using photos found online for
websites. Legitimate Concerns: All artistic creations, including pictures, are subject to exclusive
rights rules once made and fixed in a substantial medium. Even if a copyright symbol is not
visible, this does not imply that the work is not covered by copyright. If a photo is in the public
domain (i.e., the copyright has expired or the creator has given permission for its use in this
way), you are free to use it. It is uncommon for modern images, though. According to the
University of Melbourne you can use an image if: You have created it, Copyright has expired,
you have written permission from the copyright owner or among other things (University of
Melbourne, 2023).
Ethical Considerations: Even if the owner of the rights does not display a copyright symbol
on their website, it is morally correct to contact them before utilizing their photographs. Tim may
have utilized royalty-free or stock photographs that are openly made available for use without
requesting individual permission in order to completely avoid any potential ethical or legal
difficulties. In principle, it is ethical for Tim to give due credit to the original creators of any
photos he uses that have been obtained with consent or that are subject to a specific license.
References:
AllFreeMockups, A. (2022, August 6).
Can you use copyrighted images in YouTube thumbnails?
.
All Free Mockups.
https://allfreemockups.com/can-you-use-copyrighted-images-in-
youtube-thumbnails/
