Downloading media
Images and copyright
Photographs, illustrations and other images will generally be protected by copyright as artistic works. It is important that you have permission to use images when sharing them anywhere.
Generally, the image is owned by the individual who created it or the individual's employer (if they created it at work). The copyright symbol does not have to be present for copyright to exist, so it is best to assume that images you find online (except when using the platforms we list below) are protected by copyright.
Permissions can change, so if you download a 'copyright-free image' online from a source we have not provided, you may find yourself in breach of copyright rules.
The consequences
Queen Mary may be asked to purchase the licence, or we can even be taken to court. If somebody in your team has used an image without permission, your team will be expected to pay the fee (this can be thousands of pounds).
More information on Canto
We have dedicated guidance on accessing and using Canto, as well as training if you’ve not used this resource before.
Note on iStock
If you or your team doesn’t have an iStock account, please email content@qmul.ac.uk with your requests and we can download it for you.