# What does image copyright online really mean? Images you find online are not automatically free to use. Under UK law, using them without permission can amount to copyright infringement. Even photographs you take yourself can raise legal issues—for instance, because of privacy rights, data protection law, or contractual restrictions (such as house rules in museums or private venues). ### Key Takeaways - **Check image rights:** Use a suitable licence, verified public-domain material, or a legal exception; an image found online is not automatically free to reuse. - **Apply fair dealing carefully:** Its conditions depend on the purpose; the current-events reporting exception excludes photographs. - **Check your own photographs:** Freedom of panorama covers buildings and certain works, not every publicly visible artwork; privacy and data protection still matter. - **Treat AI ownership cautiously:** Prompting alone does not establish copyright, and protection of generative outputs can be uncertain. - **Document permissions:** Keep licence records, define agency obligations, and consult an intellectual property solicitor if you receive a claim. ## What does copyright protect? An original photograph or graphic is **automatically protected by copyright** under the UK **Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA)**. Registration and a © symbol are not required. The author is normally the first copyright owner, although works made in the course of employment and assignments of rights can affect ownership. Copyright controls acts such as copying, distribution, and communication to the public. Unless a licence or legal exception covers your use, taking an image from Google or social media for your site can infringe copyright. In the UK, protection lasts for 70 years after the end of the year in which the creator dies. Using even part of an image may infringe copyright if it is a substantial part of the original work and not covered by a legal exception. Copyright infringement may occur when: - You upload or share an image without permission from the rights holder. - You alter, crop, or otherwise adapt an image without the necessary rights. - You use an image outside the terms of its licence (e.g. using a ‘non-commercial’ image for business content). - You commission someone to recreate a recognisably similar version of a protected image. Limited exceptions include fair dealing for criticism, review, and quotation, subject to their statutory conditions, including sufficient acknowledgement where required. **The fair-dealing exception for reporting current events expressly excludes photographs** under [CDPA section 30(2)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/30). A photograph may still qualify under a different exception, but attribution alone does not make the use lawful. UK fair dealing is not interchangeable with US fair use. ## When does using images online infringe copyright? In the UK, uploading or displaying an image without permission usually infringes image copyright unless an exception applies. [Social media platforms’](https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/online-marketing/social-media/the-most-important-social-media-platforms/) terms of service typically require users to have the rights to any images they upload. Sharing, reposting, or embedding images from websites may also infringe unless the image was originally licensed for that kind of reuse. There is no broad ‘private use’ exemption in UK copyright law. Depending on the circumstances, sharing copyrighted material in private groups or chats may still qualify as communication to the public. ## Consequences of copyright infringement Photographers, agencies, and image libraries often employ [reverse image search](https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/online-marketing/web-analytics/reverse-image-search/) and **tracking systems to detect unauthorised use**. A rights holder may demand removal, seek damages, or bring civil proceedings. Use properly licensed images, material whose public-domain status you have verified, or your own images after checking any rights in their subject matter. ## Using images legally ### Get proper permission To stay safe, use images only when you have explicit permission or a valid licence. [Creative Commons licences](https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/websites/digital-law/how-to-use-creative-commons-correctly/) can allow limited free use of images, provided you comply with their conditions (e.g. attribution, non-commercial use). Always **check licence details carefully**. Attribution alone does not make use lawful—it must accompany a legitimate licence. Verified public-domain material may be reused without copyright permission, but privacy, trademark, and other rights can remain. CC0 seeks to waive copyright and includes a fallback licence where a waiver is not possible; it does not clear third-party rights. Keep documentation of the source and rights status. ### Use reputable stock photo sites Libraries and platforms such as [Adobe Stock](https://stock.adobe.com/uk "Adobe Stock website"), [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com "Pexels website"), and [Shutterstock](https://www.shutterstock.com/ "Shutterstock website") offer images under different terms. **Royalty-free does not mean copyright-free or unrestricted**: licences may limit media, modifications, resale, or sensitive uses. Rights-managed licences specify the permitted use, territory, or duration. Pexels uses its own licence rather than a general rights-managed model. Check the current terms for each asset. ### Creative Commons and open licences [Creative Commons (CC)](https://creativecommons.org/ "Creative Commons website") provides standard licences for reusing works under conditions such as attribution, ShareAlike, and non-commercial restrictions. NoDerivatives licences do not permit sharing adapted material. CC0 seeks to dedicate a work to the public domain, with a fallback licence where necessary; privacy, publicity, and other third-party rights can still apply. Keep evidence of any Creative Commons or stock image licences (screenshots, download confirmations) to demonstrate permission if questioned later. ## Taking and using your own photos Even when you take photos yourself, image copyright considerations remain. You automatically hold copyright in your own photographs, but what appears in those photos may be subject to other rights: - **Buildings and certain works:** [CDPA section 62](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/62) permits photographs of buildings, and of sculptures, models for buildings, and works of artistic craftsmanship permanently situated in a public place or premises open to the public. Copies may be distributed or communicated to the public, including commercially. This is not a general exception for all artwork: paintings and murals are not covered merely because they are publicly visible. Access conditions and other rights remain relevant. - **People:** Privacy and data protection obligations depend on the context and applicable lawful basis. For advertising or material suggesting a person’s endorsement, obtain an appropriate written release. Editorial and street photography are not automatically exempt from privacy or data protection rules. If you hire freelancers or agencies, specify rights clearance, evidence retention, and any indemnification in the contract. An indemnity offers contractual recourse but does not prevent a rights holder from making a claim. ### AI-generated images and UK copyright law [Artificial intelligence (AI)](https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/online-marketing/online-sales/what-is-artificial-intelligence/) now plays a major role in producing and editing visual content, but it also raises new questions about image copyright ownership and potential copyright infringement. Under the UK **Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA)**, the legal position for AI assisted images differs from that in the United States or the EU. The CDPA explicitly recognises ‘computer generated works’, meaning works produced by a computer in circumstances where there is no human author. According to section 9(3) of the Act, the author of such a work is considered to be the ‘person by whom the arrangements necessary for the creation of the work are undertaken’. In practice, this means: - Original human creative contributions to an AI-assisted image may be protected. Merely prompting a tool or choosing an output does not automatically establish copyright ownership or originality. - Section 9(3) addresses computer-generated works, but how it applies to modern generative AI, who undertakes the necessary arrangements, and whether the other conditions for protection are met can be uncertain. Do not assume every AI output is protected or that protection will be recognised abroad. - When using AI tools hosted abroad, licence terms may grant the provider extensive reuse rights or limit your own use, so always check each platform’s policy carefully. #### Risks and best practices AI based tools can occasionally output material resembling existing creative works, making copyright infringement a real risk. Since many AI systems are trained on vast image databases, generated results may unintentionally include fragments of copyright protected content. To remain compliant: - Review the **AI provider’s terms and data sources**. Transparent tools disclose their datasets and allowed uses. - Avoid prompts that reference specific artists, brands, or photographers. - Disclose AI generation or alteration where required by law, the platform, or a contract, and where necessary to avoid misleading readers; not every AI retouch is subject to a general visible-labelling duty. - Keep records of the tool, prompt, and version used for documentation. - Combine AI generated elements with your own human creative input wherever possible. It’s also important not to use AI to ‘enhance’ or ‘recreate’ existing third party photos without a licence—doing so can result in derivative works that infringe copyright. When in doubt, **treat the AI output as if it were copyright protected**, and verify that your use complies with every relevant licence or exception. ## Staying compliant To avoid legal trouble, **always presume every photo is copyright protected** unless proven otherwise. Obtain written permissions, keep detailed records, and follow all licence terms. Avoid unverified image sources and [AI tools](https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/websites/website-creation/the-best-ai-tools-and-websites/) that don’t clearly assign rights. If you receive a claim or notice, consult an intellectual property solicitor experienced in image copyright disputes. Please note the [legal disclaimer](https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/disclaimer/) relating to this article. This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/websites/digital-law/image-copyright-online/](https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/websites/digital-law/image-copyright-online/) for AI/LLM consumption.