Most teams run one check before dropping a free image into a campaign. There are two, and the one that gets skipped is the one that actually creates liability.
The first check is the license, and most people at least glance at it. The second is the release layer, which is invisible in the license text because it applies to the people and brands inside the frame rather than to the photo itself.
What Actually Counts As Commercial Use
Commercial use is broader than the phrase suggests. It is not limited to putting an image on a product you sell.
Using an image to promote a business counts. So does a company website, an advertisement, a marketing email, product packaging, and a site that earns money from ads. The rough test is whether the image supports an activity meant to make money. If it does, hold it to the higher standard.
This is why the same photo can be completely fine on a personal blog and a problem on a business site. Nothing about the image changed. The use crossed a line the license draws.
The Licenses That Clear It And The Ones That Do Not
Public domain images carry no copyright and can be used for anything, including business purposes.
CC0 behaves the same way in practice, free for commercial use with no attribution required.
Creative Commons BY allows commercial use as well, but only if you provide the credit the license asks for, in the form it asks for.
Most large free image platforms use licenses that explicitly permit commercial use, frequently without attribution, though the specific platform terms are worth reading once rather than assumed.
The categories to avoid are just as clear. Creative Commons NonCommercial, marked NC, forbids commercial use outright. Personal use only does the same. And anything whose license you cannot locate should be treated as off limits for commercial work, because that is exactly where being wrong is most expensive.
For commercial work with the least friction, public domain and CC0 are the safest defaults. They permit commercial use, require no attribution, and sidestep the NonCommercial trap entirely.
Likeness Is A Separate Right From Copyright
This is the part that catches people who did everything else right.
The license covers the copyright in the photograph. It does not cover the person in it. If an image shows a recognizable person, their likeness is a separate right, and using that image to promote a product generally requires a model release from them. Certain private properties, artworks, and trademarked logos can require a property release for the same reason.
That is why an image can be cleared for editorial use, illustrating an article, and still not be usable in an advertisement.
Reputable stock sources note when releases are on file. Free archive and community images frequently are not released, so they need care in advertising, or in any context that implies a depicted person endorses something.
A Two Part Check That Takes Thirty Seconds
Before a free image goes into commercial work, run both checks in order.
Confirm the license permits commercial use, which rules out NonCommercial and personal use only.
Then look at the frame and ask whether a recognizable person or branded element needs a release.
If both clear, provide any required attribution and keep a record of the source. If either is uncertain, choose a different image, because clearly cleared options are plentiful and the cheapest fix is always the one made before publishing.
The full guide, including the license types and where the release requirement comes from, is at https://www.aiappsapi.com/free-images-collection/
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