Are all images on the internet copyrighted?

Nearly all of them. Under US law a photo or graphic is protected the moment it is created and saved. A missing © symbol, watermark, or credit line does not mean an image is free to use.

Can I use a copyrighted image if I give credit?

No. Credit (attribution) is not a license. Unless the license itself only requires attribution – as some Creative Commons licenses do – you need permission from the copyright owner, usually by buying a license.

Is using a copyrighted image on my website fair use?

Rarely. Fair use (17 U.S.C. § 107) is decided case by case using four factors. Decorative use of a photo on a business website, blog post, or product page is usually not fair use, because it serves the same purpose the photographer licenses the image for.

How do I copyright my own images?

You already own the copyright when you take the photo. Registering with the US Copyright Office (copyright.gov) is optional, but it is required before you can sue for infringement of a US work and before you can claim statutory damages and attorney's fees. Photographers can register many published or unpublished photos in one group application.

How long does image copyright last?

For images created by an individual since 1978: the author's life plus 70 years. For works made for hire, such as photos by employees: 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever ends first.

What are the penalties for using a copyrighted image?

For registered works, statutory damages range from $750 to $30,000 per work and up to $150,000 if the infringement is willful (17 U.S.C. § 504). Removing copyright management information such as a photographer's name or watermark can add separate damages under § 1202. In practice most cases start with a demand letter asking for a license fee.

Image copyright: what website owners need to know

The short answer

Images and copyright go together by default. In the US, a photo, illustration, or graphic is protected by copyright as soon as it is created – no registration, notice, or watermark required (17 U.S.C. § 102). To use a copyrighted image on your website you need permission from the owner, usually in the form of a license. Without one, you risk a demand letter or a lawsuit.

What image copyright protects

Photos: professional shots, product photos, and casual snapshots alike.
Illustrations, icons, infographics, and digital art: any original creative work fixed in a file.
Edited versions: cropping, filters, or adding text create a derivative work – the original owner's rights still apply.
Not protected: facts and ideas, most works by US federal government employees made as part of their job (§ 105), works whose term has expired, and images the owner dedicated to the public domain (for example CC0). Purely AI-generated images without human authorship are generally not registrable, according to the Copyright Office.

Image copyright laws in brief

Rule	What it means for your website
Automatic protection (§ 102)	Assume every image is owned by someone unless you can prove otherwise.
Exclusive rights (§ 106)	Copying, displaying, and adapting an image online all need permission.
Fair use (§ 107)	A narrow defense decided case by case – not a rule you can plan a website around.
Statutory damages (§ 504)	$750–$30,000 per registered work, up to $150,000 if willful.
Copyright management information (§ 1202)	Removing a photographer's name, watermark, or metadata can add separate liability.
DMCA notice and takedown (§ 512)	Owners can ask your host to remove infringing images; repeat issues can affect your hosting.

Using copyrighted images on your website

You can use a copyrighted picture on a website when one of these applies:

You created it yourself and haven't transferred the rights.
You hired a photographer or designer and your contract grants the uses you need (website, ads, social).
You bought a stock license and your use fits its terms (standard vs. extended, editorial vs. commercial).
The image has a free license such as Creative Commons and you follow every condition, including attribution.
The image is in the public domain – and you can document why.

The most common mistakes: pulling a picture from Google Images, re-using a photo your previous agency licensed for a different client, keeping images after a stock subscription or license ended, and using "editorial use only" photos on sales pages. Our guide on royalty-free vs. copyright-free images explains the license terms that trip people up most often.

How do you know if an image is copyrighted?

Assume it is, then find the owner. Check for a credit line or watermark, read the file metadata (author and copyright fields), and run a reverse image search to find the original source and any stock-agency listings. Step-by-step instructions are in how to check if an image is copyrighted, or paste an image URL into our free image copyright checker.

How to copyright an image you own

Nothing to do for basic protection: you own the copyright the moment you take the photo.
Add your name and copyright to the file metadata (IPTC/EXIF) and keep the original files.
Register with the US Copyright Office (copyright.gov) if the images matter commercially. Registration is required before suing for infringement of a US work and, for statutory damages, must happen before the infringement or within three months of publication.
Photographers can register groups of photos in one application instead of image by image.

What happens if you use a copyrighted image without permission

Most cases start with a letter from the photographer, a law firm, or an agency such as Getty Images, PicRights, or Copytrack asking for a license fee or settlement. Taking the image down usually does not end the claim for past use. If that has already happened, start with our copyright demand letter resources. If not, the cheapest fix is finding problem images before anyone else does.

Audit your website in four steps

Inventory every image: pages, blog posts, sliders, backgrounds, old landing pages.
Match each image to its source: own photo, contractor, stock site, agency, unknown.
File the proof: license, invoice, contract, or permission email per image.
Replace or license anything without proof – starting with stock-photo matches.

A free ImgCompliance scan handles the first two steps: it finds up to 100 images on your site, runs a reverse image search on each one, checks 30+ stock and design platforms, and sorts the results by risk.

Not legal advice

This guide is general information about US copyright law, based on Title 17 of the US Code and Copyright Office guidance. For a specific dispute, talk to a copyright attorney.