Every website/service is unique, and each should have a page on their site that explains the different levels of licensing that they offer. In general, you need to make sure that the asset you wish to use is licensed to be used commercially/on a website, which automatically excludes licensing for personal use. Commercial use can be defined in a number of ways, but one thing is true of all of them: if you are using the asset as a way to promote your business in a public space - such as a website - then you are using the asset in a commercial capacity. 

Below are some commonly used sources for stock assets, fonts, and photography:

• Pexels

• Unsplash

• Pixabay

• iStock Photos

• Shutterstock

• Creative Market

• Adobe Fonts

• Adobe Stock

• Individual-type foundries, such as Colophon and Hoefler & Co

• Make sure to read the fine print for each one of the services you are sourcing these assets from before choosing and purchasing the licensing agreement.

• Once you’ve purchased the license and downloaded the font and/or image(s), make sure to adhere to the guidelines as outlined in the licensing agreement.

• Store the licensing agreement on a local disk so that you can easily find and access it if you ever need to verify if the asset was sourced appropriately.

• Beware that some free stock photography sources - while not requiring a licensing agreement - may require public accreditation or otherwise if you are using their graphics on your website.

• For more information on photography best practices, check out our Guide to Photography

• For more information on web fonts, check out our Web fonts overview.

• Download or take screenshots of images or assets from websites without proper licensing, attribution, or written consent - this includes, but is not limited to, anything from press publications (even those written about you!) and social media platforms.

• Download or take screenshots of images or assets from search engine results pages (e.g. Google image search results)

• The first thing is to make sure this is coming from a reliable source. 

• If you received a message about infringement through a website contact form, please proceed with caution and don't click on any untrusted links; a legitimate organization or business will never ask you to share sensitive, personal information via insecure channels like a contact form or pop-up messages.

• When setting up websites, we always use photography provided by our customers or stock photography that can be of public use without copyright infringement.

• Should you receive a legitimate complaint, please share the documentation with your own legal representation for resolution and also forward a copy to your BentoBox contact. To contact BentoBox Support, click here. 

Disclaimer: These materials have been prepared for general informational purposes only, and are not legal advice.