Someone Else's Picture - May I Use It?
Pictures, music and texts have authors. Before using someone’s work, look for the permission they have given. Credit them, and ask an adult if you are unsure.
For parents: one-page guide.
01Remember
Who made a drawing you like?
That person is its author.
What do you do when permission is unclear?
Ask an adult.
How would you arrange a poster?
Choose a title, artwork and space for the credit.
02Story
In our fictional story, a child is making a poster for an exhibition of paper shapes. The title is ready; the picture is still missing. On the table are three drawings: a circle, a wave and a triangle. Each has a small label. “If I can see them, I can put them on my poster,” the child thinks. Then they notice an author’s name below the wave.
They read its label: the author allows use with credit. The child leaves a space below the drawing. A friend suggests the triangle because it suits the title. But its label says “ask first”. Nobody has asked yet. They set it aside and choose the wave.
The poster now has both artwork and a credit. When they check it together, the friend notices the source is missing. They add its practice label. Then they change the poster’s heading, keeping the credit in place. “What about music for the exhibition?” asks the friend. “We’ll look for its author and terms too. If we don’t understand them, we’ll ask an adult.”
This story is made up. The activity contains no real pictures of people or borrowed photographs.
03Worked example
A licence states the conditions under which an author allows use. Creative Commons (CC) lets authors state these in advance. Every CC licence requires credit. CC BY allows sharing and adapting with credit. CC BY-NC allows noncommercial use and adapting with credit.
Practice example: “Wave - Author B - Practice B: credit, no selling - card B”. The names, terms and “card B” are fictional teaching labels, not real CC licences or web addresses. Our poster is not for sale and the drawings stay unchanged.
For a real work, record its actual title, author, licence and source link. Giving credit alone does not replace permission. If the terms are missing or unclear, ask an adult.
04Try it now
Make a practice poster that is not for sale, using unchanged drawings. All drawings and authors are made up by us. The terms are teaching labels, not real licences. Write only about these cards, with no personal details. This activity sends and saves nothing.
1 · Predict: can you use every picture you can see? Think before choosing.
2 · Run: choose a drawing and write its credit. Use “card A”, “card B” or “card C” instead of a real link.
Circle · Author A
Practice A: give credit · source: card A
Wave · Author B
Practice B: credit, no selling · source: card B
Triangle · Author C
Practice C: ask first · source: card C
3 · Change: choose different artwork and rewrite the credit. What needs to change? Compare with the sample credit shown. It is a hint, not a mark.
Card C needs permission first. We cannot contact its fictional author here. Choose another card.
05Without a screen
Draw an abstract picture on paper. Sign it with a made-up artist’s mark and write how a friend may use it, for example: “You may put it unchanged on a paper poster if you credit my mark.” Give it to a friend and ask them to explain your permission.
These are practice agreements. Ask an adult about a real licence or an unclear case.
06Make your own
Write your own credit for a paper poster: “Title - author - licence - link”. You can use card A or B and its practice source. For a real work, fill in its actual details with an adult’s help. Read your credit to someone else: can they tell where the artwork came from and what is allowed?
07What I learned
Pictures, music and texts have authors. Before using someone’s work, look for the permission they have given. Credit them, and ask an adult if you are unsure.
1. What do I check before use?
2. What belongs in a credit?
3. The terms are unclear. What now?
You can explain the permission and write a complete artwork credit.
08I have a question
Do you still have a question? Write it here. It goes to your parent, not to strangers. Your parent confirms their e-mail first.
The form is loading… If it does not appear, write your question on paper and show it to a parent or teacher.
Sources
- Title: Someone Else's Picture - May I Use It? · Author: Children’s Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original content, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
- S1 · About CC Licenses · Creative Commons · source of facts; explained in our own words, with no copied text or images.
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation, 2026. You may share and adapt this lesson if you credit the author and keep the same licence. Learning is free forever.