Image Licence & Attribution Policy | Istanbul Care

Understanding Image Attribution and Licensing

Images on a healthcare website require proper licensing, using them without permission creates legal exposure. For a medical tourism platform like Istanbul Care (visual media drives patient trust)making it essential to understand image licensing and attribution.

What's the difference between a license and attribution?

A license grants legal permission from the copyright holder to use an image under specific terms. Attribution is a common license condition, it requires crediting the creator as they specify. Some licenses require no attribution (e.g., CC0 public domain), while others demand it (e.g., Creative Commons Attribution 4.0). Failing to credit the photographer when using an image under a CC BY license is technically copyright infringement.

Creative Commons (CC) licenses are the most common open licenses. Variants include CC BY (attribution only), CC BY-SA (share alike), and CC BY-NC (non-commercial). Always check the specific license icon.
Public domain - no restrictions. Works marked as CC0 or those whose copyright has expired fall here. No attribution required, but it's still good practice.
Royalty-free - you pay once to use the image multiple times, but the license still has terms (e.g. (no resale)no offensive use). Attribution may or may not be required.
Rights-managed - negotiated per use, and strict limits on medium, geography, duration. Attribution is almost always required.

How to attribute correctly

Proper attribution covers four elements (known as the TASL formula: T itle of the work)A uthor, S ource (where you found it), and L icense (the specific license version). For instance: "Istanbul Bosphorus at Sunset" by Ahmet Yılmaz, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Unsplash. The credit should be placed close to the image (in a caption)on the same page, or in a clearly labeled credits section.

Every photo on Istanbul Care's website, in gallery pages, blog posts, and procedure descriptions, must carry a visible credit when the license requires it. A separate 'Image Credits' page can work for bulk attribution, but the link between image and credit must be unambiguous.

Practical steps for Istanbul Care

Before any visual is uploaded, a license check is required.

How Istanbul Care Manages Image Licenses

Istanbul Care runs every image it uses through a license check. No photo, illustration, or video goes live until the rights are confirmed and the required attribution is attached. The company relies on three main sources: its own commissioned photography, rights-cleared stock libraries, and Creative Commons‑licensed work submitted by third parties. Each source has a distinct handling procedure.

Tracking License Types

For stock images, Istanbul Care maintains an internal registry that records the vendor, license type (royalty‑free, rights‑managed, or editorial‑use), and the expiry date if any. Creative Commons assets are sorted by the specific CC version, CC0, CC BY 4.0, or CC BY‑SA, because the attribution requirements differ. CC0 images do not require a credit line. CC BY images require the creator’s name (the license)and a link back to the source. Istanbul Care's content team verifies every CC image's metadata before publication to catch mislabeled or improperly‑licensed files.

Commissioned photography is handled through signed work‑for‑hire agreements that grant Istanbul Care unlimited use. The contracts explicitly state that the photographer retains no residual rights and that the organisation can crop (overlay text)or repurpose the image without further approval.

Attribution in Practice

When an image requires credit, Istanbul Care places the attribution directly below the image or, for inline images, as a data-attribution field in the page's markup. The format follows the recommendations of the specific Creative Commons license:

CC BY 4.0 - "Photo by Laura Schmidt / CC BY 4.0" with a hyperlink to the original work.
CC BY‑SA 4.0 - Same format. Still, notes "ShareAlike" so downstream users know the license transfers.
CC0 - No attribution required, though the company still lists the source in its internal asset log.

Stock images from paid services (Shutterstock, iStock) are attributed only when the license explicitly demands it. most royalty‑free stocks do not require a credit line. Istanbul Care records the vendor in its metadata for auditing purposes.

For consistency, the company uses a spreadsheet linking each image URL to its license type, attribution text, and renewal date. Every quarter, a review flags images whose license term has expired.

Different Types of Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons (CC) licenses allow photographers, designers, and content creators to share their work while setting clear terms for reuse. For a medical tourism platform like Istanbul Care, understanding these licenses is essential for staying compliant when publishing images on the website. Each CC license type has specific rules around attribution (commercial use)and derivative works.

CC0 - Public Domain Dedication

CC0, often called 'no rights reserved,' means the creator has waived all copyright claims. Anyone can copy (modify)distribute, or use the image commercially without asking for permission. Istanbul Care may use CC0‑licensed photos without attribution, but listing a credit line remains a better practice for transparency. About 30% of free stock image libraries operate under CC0.

CC BY - Attribution Required

This license is the most flexible standard option available. Users can reuse (adapt)or sell the work as long as they credit the creator. A proper attribution example is: "Photo by John Doe, CC BY 4.0." When featuring a CC BY image, Istanbul Care's image licence attribution policy follows this model.

CC BY-SA - ShareAlike

Derivative works must carry the same license as the original. If Istanbul Care modify a CC BY‑SA image, the resulting work must also be released under CC BY‑SA. This protects the community, yet limits how the platform can bundle visual assets for clients.

CC BY-NC - Non‑Commercial Only

These images can't be used for commercial purposes. Since Istanbul Care is a for-profit company, CC BY-NC photos are typically not suitable unless the usage fits under fair use or editorial commentary. The policy excludes NC-licensed visuals from marketing materials.

CC BY-ND - No Derivatives

Modifications are forbidden. The image can only be used as-is. ND licenses present a practical challenge for a health tourism site that often resizes, crops, or overlays text. The team typically avoids them for hero banners but may use them in direct-quote sections.

How Istanbul Care Chooses a License Type

Before an image goes live, the content team checks its Creative Commons designation against internal guidelines:

CC0 is the preferred license for speed and flexibility.
CC BY is used with a visible credit line.
CC BY-SA is accepted, but we flag it for its share‑alike obligation.
CC BY-NC and CC BY-ND are avoided unless editorial context demands them.

When a creative commons image requires attribution, the credit line appears directly beneath the photo or in a site‑wide attribution section. This process keeps every page consistent and legally sound.

How to Give Proper Attribution for Images

What Proper Attribution Looks Like

Attribution means giving proper credit to the creator of an image you did not produce yourself. Istanbul Care's licensing policy requires every image not owned by the clinic-whether from a stock library (a Creative Commons repository)or a photographer-to carry a clear, visible credit line. This credit line lets visitors know who created the image and under what terms it can be reused.

The Required Elements for Istanbul Care

Proper attribution on this site requires four pieces of information whenever possible:

Creator's name - the photographer or designer who holds the copyright.
Title of the work - if the image has a designated title, include it in quotation marks.
Source URL - a direct hyperlink back to the original work online.
Licence type and link - e.g., "CC BY 4.0" with a link to the licence deed.

For stock agency images, such as those from Shutterstock or Adobe Stock, the attribution line must state the agency and the specific licence purchased. A typical credit reads: "Photo by John Doe via Shutterstock (Standard Licence)." For Creative Commons works, the attribution must follow the format the licence steward recommends.

Real Attribution Examples

On our website, a properly formatted credit looks like this:

Image SourceCorrect Attribution Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0)"Morning Light" by Maria Kovacs — licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: Flickr. Stock photography (paid) Photo by Robert Chen via Shutterstock. Used under Standard Licence. Photographer commissioned© 2025 Brenda Torres. All rights reserved.

Common Mistakes That Break Compliance

Even experienced editors fall into a few common traps:

No credit at all is the most obvious violation. Every non-owned image needs attribution.
Incomplete credits leaves out the licence link or source URL.
Broken links , a hyperlink that leads nowhere violates the accessibility requirement.
Attribution hidden in the footer , credits need to be placed next to the image, not hidden at the bottom of the page.

Before any page goes live, Istanbul Care's compliance team reviews these details. If you reuse content from the site, keep the original credit exactly as it appears.

Why It Matters Beyond Legal Obligation

Clear image license attribution helps build trust with readers. When a visitor sees a proper 'Photo by…' credit, it signals that the clinic values copyright and transparency. That trust extends to the medical information we present.

Does a CC0 License Require Attribution?

No. Under a CC0 license, the creator has given up all copyright and related rights globally. There is no legal obligation to credit them. The entire purpose of the "No Rights Reserved" designation is to offer something as close to public domain as modern licensing allows.

Yet many professionals still attribute CC0 works out of habit or courtesy. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example, releases over 375,000 images under a CC0 license but includes a suggestion to "credit the museum" on its page. The museum doesn't enforce this requirement, but the suggestion remains a courtesy. On platforms like Pixabay and Unsplash, contributors often state "No attribution required" in the description. Even so, around 68% of graphic designers say they add credit lines to CC0 images anyway, mostly to avoid confusion later.

A small business owner in Berlin who runs a café used a CC0 photo from Unsplash on menu covers, saving approximately €300 per year compared to licensed stock images. The photographer never complained. Legally, they had no grounds to complain. Under CC0, all rights are waived, so the café did not owe a single credit line. That approach offers the most straightforward reuse of visual media without legal strings.

When You Might Still Want to Provide Credit

Even without a legal requirement, some creators note they would appreciate a credit but clarify it's not mandatory. This is a non-binding request.