Yes, there is! In fact, there are more ways than just one to ensure that your website is devoid of any plagiarism risk, which can plague your repute with copyright infringement. In today’s age of “digital everything,” where a strong online presence is the ultimate currency, the concept of effective branding reigns supreme.

But effective branding is not just about putting the best content, images, videos or audios forward; it’s about showcasing how authentic your website, and its images, videos, audios, and content are. And if your question still is, “How can I avoid copyrighted stuffs?” then we would suggest you read this blog, where we’ve discussed everything related to copyright, and how you can avoid that.

Have a read –

What Exactly Copyright is?

Copyright refers to a legal protection, granted to the creators of original pieces of work including videos, audios, images, content, etc. It provides the creator with exclusive rights to make use of, share or reproduce their work. This implies that if you use (deliberately or non-deliberately) a copyrighted video, audio, image or content without permission, you will be invariably infringing on the rights of their original creators. This can result in serious legal actions, fines, lawsuits, etc.

Your website is the window of your business. And things like copyright infringement can negatively color the palette of your website! For keeping such risks at bay, you should gain a basic understanding of the basics of copyright law and exactly how you can legally source or use visual content.

Why Is It Crucial to Keep Copyright Infringement at Bay?

Using copyrighted materials without seeking permission from the original creators can take a toll on your brand’s repute and credibility, leading to financial penalties or resulting in your content being discarded or taken down. Besides the legal risks, copyright infringement can erode the ground of trustworthiness of your brand.

How can you extricate your website, social media network or anything else from the clutches of copyright claims?

Let’s share some easy yet effective tips with you in the following excerpt. Have a read –

This is How You Can Thwart Copyright Claims

• Say ‘YES’ to Royalty-Free Creatives

Royalty-free content will enable you to use a video or an image without paying even a single penny for every usage. You often require getting a license for using such assets, but once obtained, you can easily use them a multitude of times without paying any additional costs.

Some of the most trustworthy yet royalty-free websites are the followings –

• Unsplash
• Pexels
• Pixabay
• Shutterstock (paid)
• Adobe Stock (paid)

A little note of caution: Don’t forget to skim through each and every term mentioned on the license to gain a thorough understanding of what’s permitted and what’s not.

• Make Use of Commons-Licensed Content

The creative common licence will enable creators to share their content or work with certain rights reserved. There are various kinds of CC licenses available out there, each with their distinct set of rules. Some might need you to lend credit to the creator, while others might enable you to improve the work or utilize it for commercial goals.

Followings are some websites that can provide you with CC licensed content –

• Flickr
• Wikimedia Commons
• Free Music Archive

Make sure that you thoroughly check the specific license for every video or image to ensure that you comply with each term.

• Create Your Own Content

One of the safest ways of avoiding copyright infringement is to create your images or videos by your own. By creating your own content, you will get a complete control over its usage and overall distribution.

Also, this approach will enable you to custom tailor the visuals to the unique styles, messages, and objectives of your brand. If building content is not possible, consider appointing an expert photographer, graphic designer or videographer to create creatives for your website.

• Buy Licensed Content

In case you require high-quality creatives, which are not available free of cost, you should purchase licensed content. There are many stock image and video sites out there, from where you can purchase videos or images with different levels of exclusivity.

Some of the most popular licensed content providers include the followings –

• Getty Images
• iStock
• Pond5

At the time of buying licensed content, make sure that the license covers the targeted use. For instance, some licenses might only allow personal usage, while others permit commercial utilization.

• Count on Public Domain Content

Public domain works aren’t safeguarded by copyright and could be used freely without attribution or permission. These works might have been built prior to copyright laws existing or the copyright might have expired. In addition to these, some creators may also choose to release their work into the public domain.

Some of the most popular sources of public domain content include the followings –

• The Public Domain Review
• Project Gutenberg (especially for literature)
• National Archives (especially for historical images)

Even though public domain content is absolutely free to use, it is still an ideal practice to cross-check that the work is in the public domain.

• Properly Attribute Creative Work

Make careful to provide due credit to the developer of any free-to-use material that is licensed under a Creative Commons license or any similar arrangement. The name of the author, the work’s title, the source (such as a website), and the kind of license are usually included with an attribution. This is respectful of the creator’s work in addition to adhering to the law.

• Don’t Use FREE Images from Search Engines

One very common mistake is making use of images found through search engines such as Google. While it is very easy to seek or download images, many of these are copyrighted and not available for free use. Instead, use the “Usage Rights” filter of image search for finding content labelled for the purpose of reusing but still thoroughly verify the license on the source site.

The Final Note

It is imperative that you refrain from using copyrighted photos and videos on your website to safeguard your company from legal issues and uphold the integrity of your brand.

You can securely and successfully add visual material to your website by employing content that is public domain, royalty-free, Creative Commons-licensed, or self-created, and by correctly citing works where necessary. Your website will continue to be interesting and compliant as long as you are vigilant about knowing and abiding by copyright rules.