Copyright basics for creators

Short answer: the moment someone creates a song, photo, font or video, they own the copyright. Nobody has to register anything or add a © sign. So everything you find online is protected, unless the maker gave you permission (a license) or the protection has run out (public domain).

What copyright is

Copyright is the exclusive right of a maker to decide what happens with their work. Only the owner may copy it, share it, sell it, perform it in public or make a new version of it. Everyone else needs permission. That permission is called a license.

Almost every country in the world follows the same basic rules, because they signed the Berne Convention. That is why the basics in this guide apply in the Netherlands, the rest of Europe, the United States and most other countries. The details, such as exceptions and exact terms, differ per country.

It starts automatically

You do not have to apply for copyright. It exists from the moment a work is made and fixed in some form: a recording, a file, a sketch, a photo on a memory card. A song on a phone voice memo is protected. A photo posted on Instagram is protected. A font drawn in a type editor is protected.

A © symbol, a watermark or the words “all rights reserved” are not needed. They can help to show who the owner is, but leaving them out does not make a work free. In the United States you can register a work with the Copyright Office, which helps if you ever go to court there, but the protection itself already exists without it.

What it protects, and what not

Copyright protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. A melody, a recording, a photo, a text, a drawing, a video and the code of a font file are all protected. These are not protected by copyright:

• Ideas and styles. “Lo-fi beats with rain sounds” or “flat pastel illustrations” can be used by anyone. Copying a specific track or drawing cannot.
• Facts and data. A date, a price or a scientific fact is free. A written article about it is not.
• Short names and titles. Song titles and slogans are usually too short to be protected by copyright. They can be protected by trademark law, which is a different system.
• Simple chord progressions and common rhythms. Basic musical building blocks belong to everyone.

For something to be protected, it has to be original: the result of the maker’s own creative choices. A quick snapshot can already meet that bar. A plain copy of something that already exists usually does not.

One work, several owners

This is where many creators get into trouble. One piece of content often has several layers of rights, each with its own owner:

• Music: the composition (melody and lyrics, owned by the songwriter or publisher) and the recording (the actual audio file, owned by the artist or label). A Mozart piece is free, but a modern orchestra’s recording of it usually is not.
• Photos: the photo belongs to the photographer, but the person in it has portrait rights, and a painting, statue or logo in the picture can have rights of its own.
• Video: the footage, the music, the voice-over and any clips inside it can all have different owners.
• Fonts: the font software is protected. In some countries the letter design is protected too.

A license only covers the layers the person giving it actually owns. That is why we always show who the source is and what exactly you may do.

The rights of the owner

The owner decides about:

• Copying: downloading, saving, putting it in your project.
• Sharing and publishing: uploading to YouTube, TikTok, a website or a streaming service.
• Public performance: playing music in a shop, gym, event or livestream.
• Adapting: remixing, cropping, editing, translating, or putting music under a video. Under most licenses, syncing music to a video counts as making a new version.
• Selling: using it in products, ads or paid work.

Moral rights: the right to your name

In Europe, makers also have moral rights. They have the right to be named as the maker and the right to object to changes that damage their work or reputation. In many European countries, including the Netherlands, these rights cannot be sold. So even when a license says credit is optional, naming the maker is polite and often wise.

How long it lasts

In the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, copyright usually lasts for the life of the maker plus 70 years. For recordings, the European term is 70 years after release. For work made by a company in the United States, it is 95 years after publication. After that, the work enters the public domain and is free for everyone. Read more in Public domain explained.

How you get permission

1. A free license. The maker gives everyone permission under set rules, such as a Creative Commons license or a site license like the ones at Pixabay or Pexels. See Every free license explained.
2. A paid license. You pay once or per month, like with stock music libraries.
3. Direct permission. You ask the maker and get a clear yes, preferably in writing, by email for example.
4. A legal exception. The law itself allows some uses, such as quoting for a review. These are narrower than most people think. See Fair use and legal exceptions.

Five common myths

“It’s on Google, so it’s free.”

No. Being online does not mean it is free to use. Almost everything online is protected.

“I gave credit, so it’s fine.”

Credit is not permission. Credit only counts when a license asks for it.

“Under 10 seconds is allowed.”

There is no safe number of seconds. Even a very short clip can be infringement, and Content ID picks up short fragments too.

“I don’t make money with it, so it’s allowed.”

Non-commercial use can still infringe copyright. It can make a difference for some licenses and exceptions, but it is not a free pass.

“I bought the song, so I can use it.”

Buying a song or a stream gives you the right to listen, not to put it in your videos.