Hi, Ashley! If I take on a design client and I am getting paid money for it, is it legal to use free stock images for the design? I know that they are free for use, but I’m not sure that they are free for a use in which you are working for a client.
Great question! I can’t give you a blanket response for this because every site and every stock image is different. They may have their own policies. But 9 times out of 10, it’s perfectly acceptable to use a stock image for a client.
The idea is that you obtain the stock image but transfer the license over to the client. So it’s still free for them to use.
You just have to be careful with commercial usage.
Often stock images are free for “personal use” but not for “commercial use”. So if you’re being hired to create a personal blog for a client, that’s usually fine because you’re transferring the license to the client, who’s then using it for “personal” use.
But if your client wants to use this image on a book cover or something else that will earn them money, that becomes “commercial use”. Many free stock images (not all) are NOT available for commercial use; they’re for personal use only. But again, every site/image is different, so check the terms!
If this is a pre-made product, that’s also commercial use.
There’s also usually a difference between:
- Being hired to create one project (design/website/blog) for one client.
- Creating a product that you will sell to multiple people (pre-made design, ebook, etc.).
That second point falls under that same “commercial use” we discussed last time. You’d be using the stock image in a product that you’d then be selling for profit. When you make money from something, you need to have the rights to use any stock images in a commercial way. It no longer falls under “personal use”.
Licensing can be confusing and messy!
Sometimes it’s really hard to figure out if you’re allowed to do certain things with certain licenses. Even if the site offers clear examples of what you can and cannot do, they may not cover your specific case. It’s always best to be safe than sorry, so if you have any doubts make sure you contact the website or artist to check with them directly. If you explain your exact situation, they should be able to tell you if you’re allowed to use the image in that way.
It did sound confusing! But with your explanation, everything makes sense 🙂
You’re welcome. 🙂 If in doubt, just ask the site/company you’re getting the images from!
I had no idea that the license would get transferred to the client so this was definitely good to know! Would the same also apply to fonts that are free for personal use? I always thought you couldn’t since you’d be using them in a paid project and it would no longer fall under personal use.
You definitely want to check rules for individual sites just to be safe, rather than assume this is the case for all sites. Everyone can have their own custom terms. But in most cases that I’ve seen, you obtain the license on behalf of the client, then when you hand of your project files you make it clear that you’re transferring the license to them. Most big/reputable sites will have very detailed licensing agreements or FAQ that address this specifically.
So yes, unless there’s something in the licensing terms that say otherwise, you should be able to use fonts in the same way. 🙂
Such a great post. This is why unless I create pre-made covers (where I buy or use my own stock that I have photographed) I ask clients to buy their own stock if they want something from scratch. In this case I haven’t unknowingly put the client at risk for buying the wrong license BUT I always tell every client that they need to read through the terms of usage for any stock image carefully.
Having your client purchase the license is definitely the best way to go about it! 🙂
This shit is always so confusing. Thanks for making it clear.