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Redbubble is a platform artists can utilize to upload their original artwork and put it on products to sell to the general public. Pixabay is a platform where users can share copyright-free images and photographs for commercial and non-commercial use. It seems these platforms are a match made in design heaven if Redbubble allows Pixabay images to be used on their products.
Redbubble states that you can integrate images from image websites, like Pixabay, into your artwork and upload them to Redbubble, however all content must be altered or modified to be used. You can only do so if you follow attribution requirements or other license terms and comply with Redbubble’s Intellectual Property & Publicity Rights published policies.
To be completely sure you’re not violating Redbubble’s policies and agreement, you should also concern yourself with Pixabay’s terms of use regarding their copyright-free images, videos, and music. In this article, we’ll look at Pixabay’s Licence agreements and other policies surrounding the use of Pixabay images on sites like Redbubble.
Pixabay’s License Agreement for Users
The first thing you read about Pixabay is that the images, music, and videos on the website are copyright-free, meaning they are not protected by copyright.
Typically when work is copyrighted, you have to obtain permission and payment of royalties unless otherwise specified under the copyright license agreement. Therefore, copyright-free means you do not need to get permission or pay the author of the image to use it.
While they recognize that the images on the site can be used without the image author’s permission, they ask users to ensure that the depicted content is suitable for use and does not infringe any rights. Since these images are shared on Pixabay, they have a license that dictates how they can and cannot be used.
- All content on Pixabay is free for commercial and non-commercial use (print and digital) except in the cases mentioned in “What is not allowed.”
- Content from Pixabay can be modified.
- Attribution is not required.
- You are not permitted to redistribute or sell Pixabay content on other stock or wallpaper platforms.
- You are not permitted to sell unaltered content.
- You are not permitted to portray identifiable people in a bad light or in an offensive way.
- You are not permitted to use content with identifiable people that creates a misleading association with a product or service.
So, excluding the rules dealing with identifiable people, all content must be altered or modified to be used. Redbubble states that you can integrate an image into your own artwork— meaning the artwork has to be an amalgamation of the Pixabay image and your own unique design.
With that said, consider using a design maker with templates you can customize, download, and use to sell on Redbubble. We recommend Placeit.net for this, because it’s what we personally use and trust.
Does Redbubble Encourage the Use of Images from Stock Sites?
Redbubble provides a disclaimer to its users that though they are willing to answer questions about using licensed images, they are not lawyers and do not provide legal advice. They encourage all users to seek legal counsel if they have questions or doubts about the legalities of licenses, fair use, intellectual property, Creative Commons, or other defenses.
Redbubble markets itself as a platform where artists can upload their original work and place them on products to sell. They strongly discourage using an image you have found on the internet unless you have permission from the owner of that image to use and sell it.
It’s clear Redbubble wants its users to be certain that they are abiding by all legal agreements, licenses, and policies of both the stock image website and themselves before uploading anything that isn’t one hundred percent their intellectual property.
How Does Redbubble Protect the Intellectual Property of Their Artists?
Since Redbubble is so particular about protecting the intellectual property of image authors on other platforms, it begs the question of how they would go about protecting the artists that use their platform to sell their original artwork.
Redbubble encourages any user to contact the artist of any work on their website before using their art, even for personal use. They also offer a “Notice and Takedown Report” for any artists concerned with their intellectual property being used by Redbubble users.
The “Notice and Takedown Report” does not cover the use of the artwork outside of Redbubble and would, at that point, require legal counsel to take action.
Conclusion
It’s always best to go with original work or utilize a site that provides design templates rather than be in doubt and possibly violate policies, agreements, and licenses.
We highly recommend using a commercially approved design maker like Placeit.net for creating items to sell on Redbubble. This protects you from any potential legal issues, and helps you make great designs quickly.
