From the start we’ve wanted Stock Photo Xposure to be a truly useful resource for designers, marketers, publishers and anyone else that needs stock images. But for the site to be useful, the image license has to be as clear and open as possible.
We’ve used other sites in the past where some images are free, some are paid for, some have an open license, some require approval from the photographer, etc, etc. Those restrictions make searching for photos a pain, and it’s something we’re determined to avoid.
Our original, hand written image agreement was a bit wooly and lacked the legal status that would allow some designers to sleep at night. In stepped StockPhotoX user seanjb with a great suggestion — switch to a Creative Commons license — that way, everyone knows where they stand.
So we’ve done just that. We’ve chosen the most open CC license available, the Creative Commons Attribution license, allowing both commercial use and derivative works from any image. Our FAQs and image upload agreement have been updated, our public site now displays the Creative Commons Attribution license with every image, and all contributing users have been notified of (and have agreed to) the new license.
Thanks again to Sean!