What do you mean by Creative Commons?
Images play a vital role in content marketing, as they are highly engaging for consumers. Over 60% of consumers consider images to be the most captivating type of in-feed social content.
When marketers seek images to enhance their blogs and articles, they often turn to Google Image Search. However, it's important to note that the majority of images found online are subject to copyright terms.
To address this issue, Creative Commons offers a solution that supports content creators seeking access to attribution-free content, including animations, music, and images.
Established in 2001, Creative Commons is an organization dedicated to enabling people to share their creativity in a more accessible world. Creative Commons-licensed work can be found across the internet, including platforms like Wikipedia, Flickr, and millions of YouTube videos.
Copyright protection is granted to content worldwide from the moment of its creation. It is illegal to copy or distribute images and videos found online without the creator's permission. However, many artists are willing to have their work shared and used. Creative Commons provides rights holders with a way to indicate their willingness to permit specific uses of their content.
Creative Commons Licenses
Artists who want to allow others to share their content must apply a Creative Commons license to their work. Currently, there are six types of Creative Commons licenses available, each with its own permissions and restrictions:
- Attribution: Users can modify, build upon, and use the work commercially, as long as they credit the creator.
- Attribution-ShareAlike: Users can modify and build upon the work for both commercial and non-commercial purposes, as long as they license new creations and credit the original creator.
- Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike: Same as Attribution-ShareAlike, but commercial use is not allowed.
- Attribution-NonCommercial: Users can use the content in any way, except for commercial purposes.
- Attribution-NoDerivs: Users can use the content as-is, without modification, as long as they credit the creator.
- Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs: Users cannot modify the work or use it for commercial purposes.
Finding Content with Creative Commons
To find images available for use under Creative Commons licenses, you can visit platforms like Wikipedia Commons or Flickr. It is also possible to search for visuals with a Creative Commons license on Google. Here's how:
- Go to Google Images and select the "Tools" tab.
- Click on "Usage Rights."
- Choose the Creative Commons license that suits your needs.
Remember, before using Creative Commons content in your social media graphics and blog posts, it is crucial to review the license details. The creator permits specific uses of their work, and using the content in a manner not allowed by the Creative Commons license may result in copyright infringement.
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