When you upload an image to Freebase, one of the license options is Creative Commons (by) aka CC-BY. CC-BY is a type of license that allows the distribution of content and images without the need to pay royalties. The two main points of the CC-BY license are:
- Anyone is free to copy, distribute, or transmit the work
- Anyone is free to "remix" the work - that is, to use it in another work or context, or to use elements of it in the same way.
The one requirement for using content distributed under a CC-BY license is that you you must provide attribution to the original source.
The full text of the CC-BY license is available on the Creative Commons website (the CC in the license name stands for Creative Commons ).
How to tell if an image is CC-BY
If you're unsure about the original source for an image, you can use the Tineye search engine to try and track down the original source. If you'd like to find high-quality Flickr images that are available under a CC-BY license, you can use the Behold search engine (be sure to select all three checkboxes - free to use + and modify + commercially ).
How to upload an image under CC-BY
- When you upload your image, select CC-BY for the License Type and click Save .
- When your image loads onto the page, double-click on it to open the image topic.
- Click the edit button next to image creator and enter the attribution information.
If your image is not CC-BY you might still be able to upload it under Fair Use guidelines .
