What does copyright mean?
Anyone who creates a work automatically becomes the owner of the works's copyrights. The creator is the only one who has permission to:
- Reproduce (copy) the work
-Put their name on and publish the work
-Prepare other versions of the work
-Distribute the work for sales, rentals or display
Sometimes creators will give permission to use their work, but they require you to follow some guidelines.
What is Fair Use?
Fair Use allows copyrighted materials to be used without the creator's permission if the use meets these criteria:
-Purpose is for criticism, teaching, research or news reporting
-Nature of the material is more factual than creative
-Does not prohibit the creator from making profit
(Sometimes the amount of the work being used is a factor also.)
So can I use any image I find for my class project?
Most likely, if the project is just being shared with your class.
If you want to publish your project into the public domain (YouTube, website, social media, etc.), you need permission to use the image.
Credit to AMS Library