Can commercial use, copywrite-free & Royalty-free be used for profit?
- April 17, 2009 @ 11:29amnd6487 says:I've been trying to research information, even tried contacting Dover Publications.. Can someone please help me with a couple questions...
I have purchased multiple Dover Publications where the cover indicates commercial use, even "a virtual paradise of patterns and motifs, each crisp illustration is royalty-free and ready-to-use", "a welcome addidtion for any project by crafts people, designers, hobbists...."
I sent a request asking if this would then allow for me to use the illustrations from these books for profit. I would be making various items for use in scrapbooking, cut-outs, card making and even 3d decoupage.. all for profit to sell on my upcoming website.
Yet, all I got was a response saying I should write my inquiry to another source within their company. I'm confused. Can I or can I not use these illustrations/images with the above wording for my own scrap site?
Also I've seen rubber stamp companies All Night Media-using Looney Toons... Is this allowed??
Please help!! I'm going nuts! I want to start my business for the items I wish to do!
PS.. I've also found that these same images are found throughout the web on sites stating they are royalty-free images, yet to download them, you have to purchase credits and even then, the owner (uploader) can further state what uses the item can/cannot be used for. I've tried talking to one such site clipart.com and it's gotten no where. - April 24, 2009 @ 8:53amRuthDukelow says:If an image is in the public domain, then it is not protected by copyright and can be used by anyone in commercial or non-commercial projects. For information on how to determine if a work is in the public domain, see: http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm
If an image is protected by copyright, in most cases you will need to obtain permission from the copyright owner before using in a commercial for-profit project. In the case of the Dover publication images, you will need to determine on a case-by-case basis whether the "permission to use" statements in the book cover your intended use of the images.
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