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How to Get Copyrights for Pictures From the Internet

When a picture is taken by a photographer, either a professional or amateur, it becomes a copyrighted image as soon as it is taken. Pictures posted to Internet websites are also copyrighted and using them for personal or commercial purposes requires the approval of the photographer. Copyright refers to the ownership of the picture, which in a majority of instances remains with the photographer, unless he has sold his copyrights to someone else.

Things You'll Need

Computer with Internet connection

Instructions

- 1
  Click the "Contact" or "Profile" tab in the navigation bar of the photo website. If the website containing the picture belongs to the photographer, contact information for the photographer will be contained in these pages.
- 2
  Right click on the image and select "Properties" from the drop-down menu. Photographers often include contact information in the properties field of digital pictures.
- 3
  Email or call the photographer who owns the picture and request a usage license for the picture interested in using. In most cases, photographers will not release the copyright of the picture, as this would release ownership of the picture. Pictures are released or sold on a license basis that spells out how the picture will be used and for how long.
- 4
  Download the picture from the website and keep the license agreement for the period of time you are using the picture.

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