Copyright for Designers

Dictionary.com says that a copyright is "the exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a literary, musical, or artistic work..." We all must follow copyright, and if we don't, we are breaking laws. Many people seem to think that if you are able to pull it off the internet, you can use it freely. This is not the case. If you are going to use something off the internet that you did not create, you must make sure that you are able to use it legally. Things like images, fonts, content, multimedia documents and other intellectual property - online and off - are protected under copyright. As digital technology grows, discussions have gone on more and more about translation and adaptation rights. Adapting and transforming images, sounds and content is easier to do in a digital format.
You can find things on the internet that come copyright free, but you have to know where to look. You can find copyright free images and other creative tools on websites such as istock.com, shutterstock.com and wegraphics.net. Owners can abandon their rights of ownership, and post their works on the internet for people to take and use for free. Owners can also restrict the use of their works to only noncommercial use.

There are two types of copyright: economic and moral. Economic rights allow the owner to receive financial rewards for their work, while moral rights allow the creator to take certain actions to keep the link between him and his work.
You can still use some works as long as you give credit to whoever owns the rights. Things that fall under free use include:

• quoting from a protected work while giving a source and the name of the author
• use of illustrations for teaching purposes
• use of works for reporting news

I found this information at Wipo.int