Lunch & Learn: Images and copyright

CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center recently hosted a Lunch & Learn with guest speaker Toni Carter, library director at Athens State University. Carter spoke about image use and staying within terms to avoid copyright issues.

Public domain is free use – to an extent. This would include royalty free sites with images you don’t have to pay for and shouldn’t have to cite the sources for when using. Examples are Pixabay and Unsplash. Canva also has multiple templates that are free to use, but have to be altered in some way to be claimed as your own.  

“It’s always best to check the terms of use on any imaging,” Carter advised the audience.  

She also addressed images created by AI for content and other purposes. Typically, since these are made by the individual via prompting, you are free to use the image as your own.  

There are copyright and trademark protection measures already in place. An example used was “Tweety Bird.” If you ask ChatGPT to create an image with that character it will not process the image. Even if you ask it to again, it will continue to refuse to output any copyrighted text or images.  

One person suggested using the wording “in the style of” when prompting ChatGPT for images of copyright characters, etc. There are restrictions, but it will get you as close as you can to creating the image you want.  

Carter also explained noncommercial and commercial use content. Noncommercial is the more lenient of the two and can still have its own set of copyright and trademark laws. Though to differentiate the two, she said, think of Disney. Disney’s trademarked characters and content are commercial use, meaning prohibited to use. You cannot sell any of Disney’s content as your own.  

Said Carter, “When you go to a site, double-check how they want you to use it.”