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Fine Arts Research

These are freely available resources about fair use, reuse, and copyright. While not legal advice, they'll help you make educated decisions using images and other media.

Getting Started

Fair Use Factors
Read an explanation of the four fair use factors, from Columbia University.
Copyright Resources to Support Publishing + Teaching
From Penn Libraries, learn how to obtain, manage, and understand copyright.
Copyright + Fair Use
Use this guide's resources, from Stanford University Libraries.

What Visual and Graphic Artists Should Know about Copyright
Guidance from the U.S. Copyright Office

Images + Copyright

Copyright Checkpoint
Use this beta tool from Artstor, answer a few questions and examine the rights status of images.
Fair Use in the Visual Arts
This Code of Best Practices is from the College Art Association.
Visual Resources Association Fair Use Statement
Download the PDF about copyrighted images that the VRA believes fall within fair use.

Creative Commons Search
Verify that the work found here is actually under a CC license by following the link!
Finding Open Access Images
Use this guide from Penn Libraries to get started with OA image searches.
Wikimedia Commons
Browse a a mega-list of public domain image sites.
Image*After
Download and use any image or texture for your own work.

Media + Copyright

Everything is a Remix
Watch the videos and browse the references.
YouTube + Copyright
Read this FAQ from Google.
Codes of Best Practices
Explore these codes from the Center for Media + Social Impact.

ccMixter Music
Find free-to-use music. Explore their licenses.
Freesound
Get samples and recordings all released under CC licenses. Start with the FAQ.
Vimeo Creative Commons
Browse CC licensed videos.
Videvo
Find free stock videos and motion graphics for use in any project.

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