When using images, sound effects, and music files you hear a lot of talk about “royalty-free” and “stock” files. Once you start researching and using “stock” files, you’ll find a whole new set of terms like “rights-managed,” and “rights-ready.” We have put together this sheet to help you figure out what all these terms mean and how you can use stock files without infringing on copyright.
Copyright
"Copyright protects 'original works of authorship' that are fixed in a tangible form of expression." (Copyright Basics, www.copyright.gov) In other words, copyright prevents other people from stealing your work and calling it their own. It is a legal term and offenders can be prosecuted and/or sued.
Creative commons
Traditional copyright is "all rights reserved" meaning all the rights to the work belong the creator. Public domain gives the creator no rights to control the work. Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that lets the creator determine the scope of copyright. Wikipedia uses a Creative Commons license.
License Agreement
A license agreement is a contract that outlines copyright. For example if you use Getty Images, you must first read and sign the license agreement. You will find license agreements on most stock photography, music, sound effect, and video clip sites.
Public Domain
Public Domain works have no copyright, trademark, or patent associated with them. These works either never had a copyright or have existed so long that they are out of copyright.
Rights-managed
If something is rights-managed, that means the costs are determined by how the work is used. For example, the costs associated with using an image may differ depending on whether you plan to use it on a billboard or if you are using it on a personal web site. You must pay royalites every time you use the work, regardless if it is in the same manner.
Rights-ready
Rights-ready works are similar to rights-managed. Pricing depends on how the work is used. However once that work is purchased and approved for a use, you do not have to pay again if you use the work in the same manner.
Royalties
Payments made to the author's of copyrighted works are called royalties. Royalties are paid to the author of a work each time it is used. For example, a company uses a copyrighted song in a commercial, each time the commercial airs, the company owes the author of the copyrighted song a fee.
Royalty-free
Royalties, as one can imagine, are complicated to track and expensive to enforce. Royalty-free solves these problems by charging only a one-time fee. The Library purchases Royalty-free works for the school which students can then use in projects. The Library has paid for the right to use those works. BUT! Royalty-free means different things to different people. In some cases, the works may only be used as is, meaning they cannot be edited or changed. In other cases, the works may be altered. Always make sure to check the License Agreement!
Stock
Stock is a an umbrella term used to describe all different kinds of royalty-free works regardless of their format or restrictions.
Back To: search : using : tools 
Learn more: copyright : stock photography online : sound effects online