Google Adds Creative Commons Image Search - With a Catch

Google announced today that its image search function has been enhanced to allow users to find images that hold a Creative Commons license. The intent is to make it easier for bloggers, Web site owners, and anyone else who needs to find photos and images they are legally allowed to use on their sites. You can simply visit the Advanced Search page within Google Image Search, select the type of license you'd like to search by within the "Usage Rights" box, and voila, images with that usage or license attached to them will be returned by Google.

Sounds great, huh? Don't get too excited. It's not that simple. Here's the catch -- the images returned may not always be accurately tagged with the correct license and/or usage permissions.

What does that mean? It means just because you conduct an advanced image search through Google and select a Creative Commons license, it doesn't mean that you can guarantee that license is appropriately applied. In other words, Google delivers results, but you still have to search down the original image and confirm the actual license attached to it before you use it.

Bottom-line, it sounds like a great tool for bloggers, but if you want to stay out of trouble, go to the source to find an image so you're certain what the license and/or permissions are for it. Follow the links to learn more about copyright and fair use and to find a list of sites to find images to use on your blog or how to search Flickr to find images to use on your blog.