---
title: 'Copyrights And Licenses For Stock Images'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=HZQl_oItI0U'
video_id: 'HZQl_oItI0U'
date: 2026-10-06
duration_sec: 134
channel: 'Topimagesites'
---

# Copyrights And Licenses For Stock Images

> Source: [Copyrights And Licenses For Stock Images](https://youtube.com/watch?v=HZQl_oItI0U)

## Summary

This video explains the basics of image copyright and licensing. It covers who owns the copyright, the different types of licenses available, and the risks of using images without proper rights. The creator offers practical advice for avoiding legal trouble.

### Key Points

- **Copyright Ownership** [00:16] — The person who took or created the image owns the copyright, and they rarely sell it.
- **Licenses, Not Ownership** [00:30] — Photographers sell licenses to use images, not the copyright itself.
- **Types of Licenses** [00:46] — Royalty-free licenses offer broad usage; rights-managed are more restrictive; exclusive/enhanced give almost full control but are most expensive.
- **Risks of Unlicensed Use** [01:17] — Using unlicensed images can lead to large fines or your website being shut down by your hosting company.
- **Safe Usage Advice** [01:36] — Only use images you have legal rights to; think twice before using images from the web.

### Conclusion

Understanding image licensing is essential to avoid legal trouble. Always use images you have the right to use, and choose the license that fits your needs.

## Transcript

Hi! So you need images but you're confused about copyrights and licenses? And you don't want to get in copyright trouble? It can be confusing! Let's walk through this step by step to make sure we understand how it works.
First of all, who owns the copyright to an image? The answer is, the person who took or created that image owns the copyright to it. And normally, that person never sells the copyright.
So the photographer normally keeps the copyrights to the images forever. What the photographer sells are only the rights for others to use the images. So when you purchase an image, what you actually purchase is a license to use it.
There are many different licenses that you can buy. For instance, you can buy a royalty-free license. This license gives you a very broad scope of how you can use the image. You can also get a rights-managed license, which is more restrictive than the royalty-free license.
And you can also get an exclusive or enhanced license that gives you almost full control over how to use the image However this kind of license is also the most expensive We have created separate videos to explain each of these licenses.
What happens if you use an image that you don't have the legal right to use? Well, you might be lucky and nothing happens, but you could also be fined a large amount of money. But even worse, your hosting company could actually be ordered to shut down your website until the copyright issue is resolved.
Our advice is therefore to only use images you have the legal right to use. And you should probably think twice before taking any image you find on the web to use on your website.
Because, as we already learned, this could result in large penalties or in your website being temporarily shut down. Would you like to learn more? On Top Image Sites, you can learn more about licenses and copyrights,
and you can also review and compare the top stock image websites. And also, if you want any coupons or special offers, we have that too.