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Usually, no. An image being visible online does not give you permission to download it, re-upload it, or display it on your own site. The safer choices are to obtain written permission or a licence for your exact use, verify that the image is public domain or covered by a suitable Creative Commons licence, or make a carefully documented fair-use assessment where that doctrine applies. A normal link to an authorised public page is generally treated differently from copying the image file or embedding it from the original server.
What “using an image” can mean
Copyright law treats several technically different actions as potentially different uses. The legal result depends on the image’s source, the rights holder’s authorisation, your purpose, the way you display it, and the country whose law applies.
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| Method | What happens technically | Typical risk |
|---|---|---|
| Normal text link | Your page links to the authorised source page; the visitor chooses whether to open it. | Usually the lowest risk when the source was lawfully published, the link does not bypass a paywall or access control, and the link is not misleading. |
| Copy or re-upload | You download the file and store it on your server, CDN, social account or CMS. | Usually requires permission or a licence because you are making and displaying a copy. |
| Inline embed or hotlink | Your HTML points to the other site’s image URL, so the visitor’s browser requests the file from that server. | Not automatically legal merely because the file stays on the other server. Authorisation, licence terms, display context, bandwidth use and jurisdiction still matter. |
| Frame or other display | Your page causes content from another site to appear inside your layout. | Facts and court decisions vary; terms of use, access controls and whether the display substitutes for the original can be important. |
The UK Intellectual Property Office states that the vast majority of internet images are likely protected by copyright. A search result, social-media post or publicly viewable page is not proof that the uploader owns the rights or that reuse is authorised.
Can I use a picture I found on Google or another website?
Search engines index images; they do not grant you a licence. Before publishing, identify the actual rights holder and verify permission for the specific use. A photographer may own the copyright while a model, brand, artwork or private property depicted in the picture creates additional concerns.
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Questions to answer before publication
- Who created the image, and who currently controls the copyright?
- Was it published by the rights holder or by someone who may have uploaded it without permission?
- Does the licence cover your website, newsletter, app, social channels and advertising?
- Does it allow commercial use, editing, cropping, overlays and different territories?
- Is attribution required, and where and how must it appear?
- Does the permission have an expiry date, view limit or audience restriction?
- Are identifiable people, trademarks, buildings or artworks subject to separate rights?
Keep the source URL, the licence text, the permission email, the date obtained and a copy of the terms. A screenshot of a licence page can help show what you reasonably relied on if the page later changes.
Is hotlinking an image copyright infringement?
Hotlinking is a delivery technique, not a licence. The image remains on the source server, but your page instructs a visitor’s browser to request and display it. That can still raise copyright questions because the image is being presented to your audience in your page’s context.
Why the answer is fact-specific
- Authorisation: The source owner may expressly permit embedding, or may prohibit it in terms of service.
- Access controls: Using an image URL to bypass a login, paywall, geographic restriction or expiring token increases risk.
- Context and substitution: A prominent embedded image may substitute for visiting the original page or undermine a licensing market.
- Technical and contractual effects: Every view consumes the source site’s bandwidth and may violate hotlinking rules or trigger blocking.
- Jurisdiction: Copyright exceptions, hyperlinking rules, moral rights, contracts and remedies differ by country.
Some owners intentionally publish embeddable media and provide an official embed tool. Follow that tool’s conditions rather than extracting a raw URL. If permission is unclear, ask for it or use a properly licensed replacement.
Does giving credit or linking back make it legal?
Credit is good attribution when a licence requires it, but credit alone does not transfer copyright permission. “Image credit: [name]” does not normally authorise copying an all-rights-reserved photograph. Likewise, linking back after re-uploading does not undo the unauthorised copy.
There is an important distinction between a normal link and an image display. UK guidance says that sharing a simple link to a page where the rights holder has publicly posted the image is usually not restricted by copyright. That guidance does not make copying, downloading, hotlinking, or bypassing access controls automatically lawful.
Permission, licences, Creative Commons and public domain
Written permission
Ask the rights holder to state the exact permission: website display, commercial or non-commercial use, territory, duration, resizing or editing, attribution, and whether you may sublicense the image to platforms such as social networks. Save the complete exchange, not just a short “yes” detached from the question.
Stock or site licences
Read the licence attached to the specific image and plan. “Royalty-free” does not mean “copyright-free”; it describes how payment is structured. Check restrictions on redistribution, logos, resale, sensitive subjects and print or advertising use.
Creative Commons
Confirm the exact licence version and conditions. Attribution (BY), non-commercial limits (NC), no-derivatives limits (ND) and share-alike requirements (SA) have different consequences. Follow the licence’s required credit format, link to the licence when required, identify changes, and retain a copy of the licence page. A Creative Commons label attached by an unauthorised uploader is not reliable evidence of permission.
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Public domain
Public-domain status can depend on country, the work’s age, later editions and separate rights in a photograph of an artwork. Record why you concluded that the particular image is public domain in the territory where you will publish.
What about fair use?
In the United States, fair use is a fact-specific defence involving the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the work, the amount used and the effect on the potential market. The U.S. Copyright Office states that there are no legal rules allowing a fixed number of words, musical notes or a percentage of a work. A “10% rule” or “30% rule” is not a safe harbour, and only a federal court can finally decide a particular dispute.
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Questions for a fair-use assessment
- Is the use criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching or another purpose recognised in the relevant jurisdiction, or is it primarily promotional?
- Is the source work factual or highly creative?
- Are you using only what is needed, or the entire image at a useful resolution?
- Does your use replace a licensed image or reduce the market for the original?
- Have you added meaning or analysis rather than using the image as decoration?
Document your reasoning, but do not describe an uncertain conclusion as a guaranteed right. Outside the United States, a different exception may apply, or none may. For a valuable campaign, client project or high-traffic publication, obtain advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.
A safe workflow for using an image from another site
- Identify the source. Find the creator or rights holder, not merely the page that reposted the file.
- Check authorisation. Read the page, embed instructions and terms. Treat an ordinary public view as evidence of visibility, not permission.
- Choose the least risky method. Use a normal link when a link meets your goal; do not copy or hotlink simply for convenience.
- Obtain a licence or permission. Specify website display, commercial status, territory, duration, editing and attribution.
- Verify licence conditions. For Creative Commons or stock images, record the exact licence and required credit.
- Publish with attribution. Place credit where the licence requires it and identify modifications.
- Keep records. Save URLs, emails, invoices, licence pages, dates and the version of the image used.
- Review later. A licence can expire or a source can change its terms. Replace the image if permission ends.
Or skip the browser setup
If your legitimate goal is to capture a webpage you are allowed to record, ScreenshotNeo returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF from one request. It does not give you copyright rights in a third-party page; you still need permission or a licence to publish the resulting capture.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsScreenshotNeo accepts consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients.
See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for authentication and options. These examples capture a page you are authorised to capture:
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);Relevant controls include full-page capture with lazy images loaded, a CSS-selector element capture, device presets or a custom viewport, retina scale, PDF paper size and margins, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks before capture, hidden selectors, waits for a selector, delay or network idle, blocked ads or requests, custom headers and cookies, user agent, timezone, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, chosen cache TTL, signed image links, asynchronous webhooks and bulk capture for up to 100 URLs per call.
Every feature is included on every plan: Free provides 1,000 shots per month with no card; Starter is $5 for 3,000; Growth $15 for 15,000; Pro $39 for 60,000; Scale $99 for 250,000; and Business $249 for 1,000,000. Yearly billing gives two months free. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to start with 1,000 screenshots a month and no card.
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If the rights holder objects or sends a DMCA notice
First response
- Do not delete your records. Preserve the source, licence, permission, attribution and publication date.
- Check whether the notice identifies the work, location and complaining party, and whether the claimant appears to own or represent the rights.
- If permission is absent or uncertain, temporarily remove the image while you investigate, especially for a commercial page.
- Contact the rights holder to resolve licensing, attribution or removal questions.
Notice-and-takedown and counter-notice
Section 512 of the U.S. Copyright Act describes notice-and-takedown and counter-notice procedures for eligible online service providers, subject to statutory conditions. A platform may remove material after a compliant notice. A counter-notice is appropriate only when you have a good-faith basis that the removal was mistaken or authorised; it can have legal consequences. These procedures do not decide ownership in every dispute and do not replace jurisdiction-specific legal advice.
Troubleshooting common problems
“I found the image through a search engine.”
Cause: Search indexing was mistaken for a licence. Fix: Locate the rights holder and obtain permission, use a verified licence or choose a replacement.
“The hotlinked image is broken.”
Cause: The source blocks referrers, changed the URL, requires authentication or removed the file. Fix: Stop relying on the remote file; use an authorised local copy, an official embed, or a normal link.
“The page has a consent banner or popup in the capture.”
Cause: The capture process did not complete the page’s visitor flow. Fix: Use an authorised ScreenshotNeo capture with consent handling, popup and chat-widget removal, or configure the corresponding browser steps yourself. Copyright permission remains separate.
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Cause: The licence or provider gives incomplete instructions. Fix: Ask the provider for the required wording, link and placement before publication; keep the reply with your records.
Best Value
“I received a takedown request after publishing.”
Cause: The claimant disputes your permission or exception. Fix: Preserve evidence, pause use if risk is high, and obtain legal advice before sending a counter-notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a private, non-profit or personal blog automatically avoid copyright rules?
No. Non-commercial intent can be relevant to some exceptions, but it does not by itself authorise copying or embedding an image.
Can I crop, resize or add text to an image I found online?
Not without permission or a licence that allows modifications. Editing can also create attribution or moral-rights issues.
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It may follow the platform’s intended display method, but check the platform terms, the uploader’s rights and any restrictions before relying on it.
Quick Recap
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