What you can use and what protects you.
WHAT YOU CANNOT USE
Images found through a search engine Text copied from another site Fonts you have not licensed for web use Music and video without rights Logos belonging to others, unless you have permission
Rights holders do pursue this, and a complaint can mean a demand for payment.
WHAT YOU CAN USE
Your own photographs and writing Properly licensed stock material Material explicitly offered under a permissive licence, within its terms Material you commissioned, if the agreement transfers the rights
CHECK THE AGREEMENT
Commissioning a photographer or a designer does not automatically transfer copyright. If you need to own the work, the agreement must say so.
PROTECTING YOUR OWN CONTENT
Your original writing and photographs are automatically protected. A copyright notice in the footer is customary rather than necessary.
IF SOMEONE COPIES YOU
Ask them to remove it. If they do not, a takedown request to their host or to search engines is the usual route.
RECORD YOUR SOURCES
Where each image came from and under what licence. Reconstructing this later is difficult.
