SUGGESTED sources for free Images, VIDEO and audio

Open Government Licence – Canada

The Information Provider grants you a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive licence to use the Information, including for commercial purposes, subject to the terms below. Required statements of attribution, etc., are noted in preceding link.

Search results on Flaticon may be of three different types of content:

1. Flaticon content (produced by the company, follow the attribution guidelines on “Attribution: How, When and Where?”; subscribers can skip attribution),^iv which can be used and modified.
2. Collaborators’ content (produced by third parties, FI is not guaranteeing legitimacy, follow the Flaticon attribution guidelines).
3. Sponsored content (links will take you to sponsored websites; there will likely be a cost associated with using this content). Sponsored content is not free of copyright.

The registered user may download content but may not authorize “third parties to use the content in the Flaticon Content (or any modification thereof).”

1. Freepik Own Content (produced by the company).
2. Collaborators’ Content.
3. Sponsored Content.

The first two types of content can be used or modified, subject to the Freepik’s “Terms of Use,” as long as attribution is provided. See “Is Freepik for Free? and “Attribution: How, When and Where?” for more details (e.g., “Designed by Freepik”; recommended to provide a link to www.freepik.com). Subscribers are not required to provide attribution.^iv

Free content can be accessed by selecting the “Free” checkbox on the main search bar.

Freepik does not guarantee the legitimacy of Collaborators’ Content. You must assess the content for originality.

Sponsored Content is not free of copyright and you will be redirected to an external site. This content will likely have a cost associated with using it.

GeoBase data is available under Canada’s Open Government Licence – Canada.

• The Information Provider grants you aworldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive licence to use the Information, including for commercial purposes, subject to the terms below.
• Attribution of source and license required.

You may use icons or photos pursuant to the license for that particular item. See “Terms.” In order to download the icon/photo or view the license, you must create a (free) account.

Icons are available under one of the following three licenses:

1. Public Domain.
2. Attribution License (CC BY 3.0)
3. Royalty-Free License.

Photos are available under one of the following licenses:

1. Public Domain.
2. Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Noun Project’s attribution rules are that you should follow the format Icon Name by Creator Name from Noun Project. Make sure to hyperlink the Noun Project portion where possible. It should link back to the browse page following these steps [utilize the link https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/title-of-icon/ and replace the “title-of-icon” portion for the icon’s title]:

• Example 1: “Tree” icon by Edward Boatman from Noun Project.
• Example 2: “Tree” icon by Edward Boatman, from thenounproject.com.

The data and maps have different licenses. The majority are available under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) . Data contributed prior to September 2012 continues to be available from their archives under "CC-BY-SA", the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike version 2.0.

The site license permits you “to use, download, copy, modify or adapt” the content for commercial and non-commercial use except in the cases mentioned in "What is not allowed." You must log in to verify the terms for music.

Statistics Canada Open License

Can use for non-commercial and commercial purposes. Required statements of attribution, etc., are noted in preceding link.

Photos published on Unsplash are available under the Unsplash license, which allows you to download, copy, modify, distribute, perform, and use photos from Unsplash for free, including for commercial purposes, without permission. Attribution is appreciated, but not required.^iv See the “License” page for an example of attribution. The site also features banners from paid stock photo companies, which are not free of copyright. These images will have a watermark and a cost associated with using them.

Unsplash has recently added a paid subscription service called Unsplash +. These images are identified by a black and white plus sign in the top left corner of the thumbnail on the search page and are identified as Unplash + in the same place on individual photo pages. The “download” button for these photos has an icon of a closed lock and leads to a subscription page.

• Symbols

You can use Bensound’s music available under the Free License (with the black download button) in your multimedia project (e.g., online videos, websites, animations, online courses, etc.) for free as long as you credit Bensound.com. This license, which is viewable on the Terms of Use page, is only applicable to educational projects that do not create revenue. You can adapt the music to your project by making cuts, loops, and adding voiceovers; however, you cannot make a song, a remix, or produce your own.

Materials available under either a Creative Commons BY 3.0 license or the Mazwai site license. If the former, you are free to share, copy, and redistribute, adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the content, but you must credit the author. If the latter, you do not need to provide attribution and may use the content for either commercial or non-commercial purposes free of charge and on a royalty-free basis.^iv

Videvo licenses clips in a number of different ways. For guidance on where to find license and author information, what the various licenses allow you to do, and how to credit the file, etc., see “Licenses and Usage: Full Guide.” License and usage information for each clip is displayed on the clip download page in the top section to the right-hand side of the video player.

There are separate guideline and additional attribution requirements for NASA imagery via a NASA license.

A basic search will turn up free, premium, and sponsored content. The latter two are not free to use. Look for videos marked “Free” in the bottom right corner.

• Flickr (on hiatus; no longer uploading new images/monitoring but will remain available for use)
• Catalogue

​These resources are thought to be in the Public Domain in the United States. Double-check that the resources you would like to use are also in the Public Domain in Canada.ⁱ Most images on the Flickr account are offered under a PD 1.0 mark. The Catalogue provides most content under a CC0 1.0 license, as per the Smithsonian’s “Terms of Use.” Check individual items to confirm the license. See BHL’s “Copyright and Reuse” page for additional information on how to determine the copyright status.

Attribution is appreciated in the following format:

“Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by [Holding Institution]. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org.”

Many of the images are made available under a Creative Commons license. The license data can be found alongside the image or by clicking on the image to view the page associated with it. Check the license for any applicable terms of reuse.

Check the site terms if you are interested in using other information, such as data or maps.

NASA images and media can be used by schools and text book authors for non-commercial purposes as long as no endorsement is implied and attribution is provided. This does not apply to the NASA logo or 3rd-party material on the site. See Media Usage Guidelines.

NASA images and media can be used by schools and text book authors for non-commercial purposes as long as no endorsement is implied and attribution is provided. This does not apply to the NASA logo or 3rd-party material on the site. See Media Usage Guidelines.

Specific credit lines are provided with each video at the bottom of the page. For more information see their “Frequently Asked Questions” page.

Note that “some multimedia products on [the] site are produced in collaboration with partners and have distinct copyrights and use policies. For those instances, the copyright notices and use limitations are noted on the page where you can download the product.”

Check each asset for license. Terms: “While many entries in NIH 3D fall into the public domain or CC-BY licensing, others do not. Downloaders should review and follow the licensing terms when using files that are included in the entry.”

Terms and Conditions say: “The illustrations and content provided on the NIH BIOART Source are free for any use, including educational, research, informational, and commercial purposes. Users are encouraged to attribute the content to NIH BIOART Source when possible. Please review the license associated with the specific entry for any attribution requirements.”^(iv)

In addition: “All content on NIH BIOART Source is in the public domain. However, NIH BIOART Source holds the integrity and intent of the resource in high regard. Users are encouraged to maintain the quality and accuracy of the content when using it in any capacity.”

Text and visualizations are licensed CC BY 4.0. Citation details are provided at the bottom of each entry. For more information, see their “About” and “FAQ” pages.

Note: All charts and data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data are subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors.

“Public Domain” images or those the museum otherwise waives any copyright it might have are provided under a CC0 1.0 Public Domain license. Images outside of this can be used for non-commercial educational, and personal use and for “fair use” provided that you also retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained on the materials and cite the author and source of the materials. See “Copyrights and Fair Use” under the “Terms” page for further information.

Many images are made available under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License. Once you have located the image you would like to use in the Collection Search, select “Use this Image” in the bottom right corner to access a downloadable copy of the photo and for more information on the license. Please note that not all images are available for use, so check each one individually.

The requested attribution is as follows: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Please see the “Copyright and Permissions” page for further information.

A work’s license is specified by the institution providing it. Search results can be filtered by copyright status by selecting the relevant category from the “Can I Use This?” dropdown menu on the right-hand side of the results page. The website categorizes works as able to use, able to use with conditions, and possibly able to use with permission. Double-check that the resources marked Public Domain are also in the Public Domain in Canadaⁱ.

Google Arts and Culture partners with over 2,000 museums around the world to provide online access to their collections. In addition to viewing high-quality photos of many artworks, you can use Google Street View to see many of the works in the actual museums. Google Arts and Culture is an excellent source for verifying an image, but there may be restrictions and limitations to using the images on it. See the Special Considerations column for more information.

Many of the images on Google Arts and Culture are digitally locked. This means that they must not be downloaded, even if they can be freely accessed on the source institution’s own website (e.g. through the CC0 Public Domain designation at the Art Institute of Chicago). Check the source institution’s website for the most up-to-date and detailed information on licensing and use. Images of works in Google Street View can be used according to the Google Street View terms of use. Attribution is required for any use of Google Street View images. See the Required Attribution section for more information.

The objects in the collections are subject to a variety of licenses. The relevant license is indicated under the image of the object. For further information, see the “Photographic Services and Copyright – FAQ” page.

OA images are licensed under CC0 1.0 and can be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Attribution is not required but it is appreciated.iv A sample object credit line format is as follows: “The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,” followed by the specific information identified as the "Credit Line" on the Collection page for each work of art. The citation could also include the URL www.metmuseum.org.

See FAQ for more information.

Many images in the collection are available for educational use under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

Each asset has its own copyright statement, included under the “Rights statement” in the Item Data. Note that not all assets within the NYPL collection are in the Public Domain. As such, it is advised you filter your search results to “Search Only Public Domain Materials.”

Double-check that the resources you would like to use are also in the Public Domain in Canadaⁱ.

Material in the online collections is designed to be used under Fair Dealing provisions in the Canadian Copyright Act. Any use not covered by these provisions (e.g., commercial use) requires permission from the museum. See the copyright policy for more information.

Open Access materials have a CC0 1.0 designation, meaning the Smithsonian dedicates the digital asset into the Public Domain, so that it is free of copyright restrictions and you can use it for any purpose, free of charge, without further permission.

Attribution is not required but is appreciated.^iv The Smithsonian requests a “minimal” caption of title, author, source, license, and source URL. See the Open Access FAQ for more information.

Please note that not all materials in the Smithsonian collection are available for Open Access. Make sure to the use the Open Access Portal and check the license for each individual item.