Asked in Copyright, Intellectual Property and Internet Law for New York

Q: Is it legal to screenshot a Getty Images image I have embedded into my website from that website and then post it?

Getty Images has an embed feature where one can embed a photo into their website for free. If I make a private Google Site, embed a photo, and then screenshot that photo (from the Google Site), is it OK to include it in a non-commercial post on Instagram, or do I have to obtain a license for the photo to do that?

1 Lawyer Answer
James D. Williams
James D. Williams
Answered
  • Intellectual Property Lawyer
  • Richmond, VA

A: Getty Images is not someone to mess around with. They are incredibly active in copyright infringement suits.

If they give you an embed feature, then they absolutely have terms and conditions on how the license works for that. I can practically guarantee, though will not without actually reading the terms and conditions, that taking a screenshot and sharing it is outside the terms and conditions of the license.

Copyright law is heavily dependent on licensing and proper authorizations, so if you can do that, then you should. Otherwise, you'll always run the risk of copyright infringement, even if you aren't using the work commercially.

Evelyn Suero agrees with this answer

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