Skip to main content
School of Medicine IT

Stock Photo Licenses Explained

Most SOM Images Fall Into Two Categories

For most School of Medicine websites, images will typically be either be:

  • Departmental images — photos created or owned by your department, with permission from individuals (when applicable).
  • Royalty-free stock images — purchased or downloaded from a reputable provider (such as Adobe Stock) that grants broad reuse rights under a royalty-free license.

These two categories cover nearly all image needs across SOM sites.

Royalty-Free (RF) License

“Royalty-free” does not mean “free.” It means that after paying a one-time fee or subscription, you can legally use the image multiple times without additional payments, within the terms of the license.

Creative Commons (CC) Licenses

Creative Commons licenses allow public use of copyrighted works under specific conditions. You don’t need to ask permission, but you must follow the license terms exactly.

Even under Creative Commons, the creator still owns the work. If you use an image outside its allowed terms, you can be held liable for copyright infringement.

Common types include:

  • CC BY – Attribution required
  • CC BY-SA – Share-alike (you must share adaptations under the same terms)
  • CC BY-NC – Non-commercial use only
  • CC BY-ND – No derivatives (you cannot modify the image)
  • CC BY-NC-SA / CC BY-NC-ND – Combinations of the above

Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

A CC0 license dedicates a work to the public domain as completely as possible. You can copy, modify, and distribute it — even for commercial use — with no attribution required (though crediting the creator is still a best practice).

Public Domain

Public domain images are free of copyright restrictions either because their copyright has expired or the creator has waived all rights. They can be used, shared, and modified freely. However, rules vary by country, so always verify that the image is truly public domain before using it.

Safe Image Use Checklist

Before adding any image to your website:

  • Confirm the license type — even images from the same site may have different terms.
  • Check whether credit or attribution is required.
  • Verify that the license allows modification or cropping if needed.
  • Keep records of your license agreements or receipts for any purchased images.
  • Use clear, descriptive alt text to make your images accessible.
  • When possible, use your own departmental photos or images from approved stock libraries like Adobe Stock.

Note: Rights-Managed (RM) and Editorial Use licenses are rarely required for School of Medicine websites, so they are not covered here.