Questions about Creative Commons and Faire Use Media? Contact Mrs St Louis (bstlouis@bcdschool.org)
What is Creative Commons (CC)?
Creative Commons media is content (like images, videos, and music) that creators have shared for others to use, often for free, under specific rules—like giving credit or not using it for commercial purposes.
What is Fair Use Media?
Fair Use is a legal principle that allows you to use small portions of copyrighted material without permission in certain situations, like for school projects, commentary, news, or parody.
When should I use a Creative Commons or Fair Use Media?
Use Creative Commons or Fair Use media when you need something you didn’t make yourself but want to avoid breaking copyright laws.
This protects you from plagiarism, respects creators’ work, and ensures your projects can be shared or published without legal trouble.
What does it mean if work is in the public domain?
If a work is in the public domain, it means it’s no longer protected by copyright (or never was), so anyone can use, copy, adapt, and share it freely without asking permission or giving credit. For example:
NASA Image and Video Library:
A free online collection of NASA’s photos, videos, and audio recordings, which are generally in the public domain and can be used, shared, and adapted as long as they are not used to imply NASA’s endorsement.
Smithsonian Open Access:
Download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images and data —more than 5.1 million 2D and 3D digital items from across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.
What does it mean if work is royalty free?
If a work is royalty-free, it means you pay once (or sometimes get it for free) and can then use it without paying ongoing fees or royalties each time it’s used—though you still have to follow any license rules set by the creator.
Image Resources:
Check out these helpful resources for images that are CC or Faire Use.
Canva's Free Media License Agreement:
All free photos, music and video files on Canva can be used for free for commercial and noncommercial use.
You can modify the photos, music and video files. Be creative and edit the media as you like.
Note: Check the image, music or video source. If the content comes from Pixabay please refer to the Pixabay License; if the content comes from Pexels, please refer to the Pexels License. All other free images, music and video files within Canva are covered by the license outlined on this page.
Creative Commons Search Portal
Find content you can share, use, and remix.
Flickr
An image and video hosting service, as well as an online community
FreeImages
Millions of photos, illustrations, vector graphics, icons and templates that you can download for free
Health Icons
Free, open-source health icons.
Museo:
Museo is a visual search engine that connects you with a range of art museums to access images typically free to use.
The Noun Project:
Free icons and stock photos for everything.
Smithsonian Open Access:
Download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images and data —more than 5.1 million 2D and 3D digital items from across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.
Unsplash:
The Unsplash License allows images to be used freely for both commercial and personal projects.
Wikipedia Commons:
Free-to-use media from the Wikimedia Commons library that anyone can use, share, and sometimes modify, as long as they follow the license rules.
Music and Sound Resources:
Check out these helpful resources for music and sounds that are CC or Faire Use.
Canva's Free Media License Agreement:
All free photos, music and video files on Canva can be used for free for commercial and noncommercial use.
You can modify the photos, music and video files. Be creative and edit the media as you like.
Note: Check the image, music or video source. If the content comes from Pixabay please refer to the Pixabay License; if the content comes from Pexels, please refer to the Pexels License. All other free images, music and video files within Canva are covered by the license outlined on this page.
BBC Sound Effects:
Browse and search through this treasure trove of sounds. Make and share your own mixes and soundscapes using the ‘mixer mode’ function. Use the mixer to layer, edit and re-order clips from the archive to create your own sounds.
CitizenDJ:
Make music free-to-use audio and video materials from the Library of Congress
Free Music Archive:
Free Music Archive (FMA) offers free access to open licensed, original music by independent artists around the world.
Free Sound:
A collaborative online library of audio clips and sound effects shared under Creative Commons licenses, free to use with proper attribution.
Icon8 Music:
A royalty-free music library tailored especially for creators.
Videezy:
Free HD Stock Footage & 4K Videos.
Wikipedia Commons, Audio Search:
Free-to-use audio from the Wikimedia Commons library that anyone can use, share, and sometimes modify, as long as they follow the license rules.
Video Resources:
Check out these helpful resources for videos that are CC or Faire Use.
Canva's Free Media License Agreement:
All free photos, music and video files on Canva can be used for free for commercial and noncommercial use.
You can modify the photos, music and video files. Be creative and edit the media as you like.
Note: Check the image, music or video source. If the content comes from Pixabay please refer to the Pixabay License; if the content comes from Pexels, please refer to the Pexels License. All other free images, music and video files within Canva are covered by the license outlined on this page.
Freepik!
Royalty-free footage and motion graphics.
Pexels:
Millions of high-quality royalty free stock images & videos.
Pixaby:
Over 190,000+ free stock video clips & footage shared by our talented community.
Videezy:
Free HD Stock Footage & 4K Videos.
Wikipedia Commons, Videos:
Free-to-use videos from the Wikimedia Commons library that anyone can use, share, and sometimes modify, as long as they follow the license rules.
More Intellectual Property Resources:
Curious about all this? Check out these resources to learn more, including how to apply for your own Creative Commons license!
Copy Right and Faire Use Tutorial:
A tutorial about the copyright protections that apply to work posted online, including images, text, videos, and more.
Learn about the rules that determine which of these resources you can use, and how you can use them.
Creative Commons is an international nonprofit organization that empowers people to grow and sustain the thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture we need to address the world's most pressing challenges and create a brighter future for all.
For over 20 years, Creative Commons has supported a global movement built on a belief in the power of open access to knowledge and creativity.
Use the Creative Commons tools to help share your own work!
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):
The USPTO grants patents and registers trademarks.
The U.S. Copyright Office at the Library of Congress registers copyrights.