Linda Jenkinson Web Content Design

We’ve all downloaded a software that has the “I Agree” and the “I Disagree” buttons, meaning that we have read and agree to the terms of use. Because clicking “I agree” means you get to continue, you may be tempted to click without reading the lengthy legal terms just because you want the software. If you click the “I Disagree” button, you lose the ability to install the software. You’ll find the same buttons at many of the stock photo galleries on the Internet.

At stock photo galleries, the temptation is also to click and continue, since many of the galleries advertise their photos as Royalty Free. However, although the photos are Royalty Free, if you look at upper-end galleries such as Getty’s , Corbis, or page through the National Geographic’s image gallery, you’ll find that you can pay hundreds of dollars for a Royalty Free stock photo. Although some galleries, like iStock and Fotolia are less expensive per download, there is a price and a terms of use to go with that price. At some galleries you can download Royalty Free photos for free… but that brings us back to the meaning of Royalty Free.

So if you have to pay, what is “Royalty Free”?

Generally, Royalty Free galleries provide a license to use their images, which is not the same as purchasing the image.

Comstock images says that Royalty Free means that “Once purchased, the images may be used as many times as you’d like, as many ways as you’d like*, “ but did you notice the asterisk? If you read down the page, you’ll find “A Couple of Caveats”. One of them is “There are specific prohibitions in our license against resale of the images.” If you follow further down the page to the asterisk you’ll see that although you may agree to purchase the license, certain restrictions still apply.

So… what is the definition of “Royalty Free”? How does it affect a designer’s use of stock images and how does it relate to copyright protection?

Royalty Free

A royalty is payment to the holder of a patent or copyright or other intellectual property resource for using their property. Royalties are paid per each instance of use. For instance, each time your cable station runs a television rerun, chances are that the station must pay the producer for that presentation.
On the other hand, a Royalty Free license is usually a single payment that covers multiple presentations of the licensed property, but within terms of use the owner stipulates and to which the licensee agrees.

So what’s the bottom line or royalty free vs. free?

Don’t be too quick to agree. Always remember the BIG difference between “really free” and Royalty Free.