NEWSLETTER - No.3

An internet searching-engine looking for the terms „free picture“ or „free clipart“ will find, depending on its type, two to tree million hits. But only a small number are really useful. Although being advertised as license-free or royalty-free, it often only applies for private use and not for publishing in the internet. Besides, flash pop-up commercials complicate the investigation.

 Gratis Arts: „Creative Commons“ give practical advice

Creativ Commons exist since 2001 and provide licenses which give copyright-holders the possibility to decide how their works can be used, id est: copied, passed on and modified.

As a user of CC-contents, you have security about the legal forms of usage and can use photos free of costs while being legally protected. Any license is obtainable in different languages, as a summary in commonly understandable formulation.

 The most important Components of Creative Commons Licenses: 

• Attribution („by“): Source-identification; only when the author is named, the work may be used.
• Share-Alike („sa“): Modifications must be posted under the same license as the original. Only sensible without „No Derivatives“.
• No Derivatives („nd“): The work can only be used as original, id est: totally unmodified.
• Non-Commercial („nc“): The work or its modifications must not be used for commercial purposes.

These components are processed into preformulated, immediately valid licenses. See details under http://creativecommons.org/license

 Works with the denotation „pb“ (public domain) usually are not subject of copyright law. Unlike the U.S., in Germany and Austria there is no complete lack of copyright (e. g. for common benefit) possible. Hence, for example, photos which are not subject to copyright in the U.S., may well be legally protected in Germany.

 Free Clipart: A Selection of good Web-sites

• Yotophoto - www.yotophoto.com: Very useful site for the search for license-free photos.
• Flickr - www.flickr.com/creativecommons: More than seven million different pictures to be found under so called „Creative Commons License“.
• 3D Cafe – www.3dcafe.com: Really big collection with 3D-models, bullets and buttons
• NASA – www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery: The pictures are especially useful as basic material for buttons, banners and more ...
• NOAA – www.photolib.noaa.gov: Some excellent nature photography, suitable for many illustration and modification purposes.

Please consider the respective right to use of each paricular picture. We can not guarantee for all contents of the above mentioned sites to be “free” under any circumstances.

Do you know further helpful sources for pictures? Please send us your suggestions. We will publish the best links on our homepage. Thank you.