Good news! It is not always necessary to obtain permission or pay a licensing fee before using a copyrighted work.
Two important exceptions to copyright law are Fair Use and Public Domain. Refer to these pages to find out more:
Some images are licensed for public use by the copyright holder. Find out more about free online images here:
In addition, some categories of works are not eligible for federal copyright protection. Therefore, you are free to use them without asking permission. These include: