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Photography vocabulary · Copyright & Licensing

Royalty-free

Meaning in photography, with examples

/ˌrɔɪəlti ˈfriː/adjectiveCommon term

In photography, royalty-free means: Licensed for a single fee and then usable many times, within the license terms, without paying again for each use. It does not mean free of charge.

In Turkish: telifsiz, royalty-free, tek ödemeli lisanslı

How it is used

The main license model of stock agencies, often contrasted with rights-managed licenses, which are priced for each specific use. Royalty-free images are non-exclusive, so a competitor can use the same photo. Standard and extended RF licenses have different limits.

Example sentences

  1. Royalty-free doesn't mean free: we paid for the image once.

  2. The agency offers both royalty-free and rights-managed licenses.

Common collocations

  • royalty-free image
  • royalty-free license
  • royalty-free stock photos
  • licensePermission from the copyright owner to use a photo in specific ways, for example where, for how long and in which media, usually in return for a fee.
  • stock photographyReady-made photos that are licensed to many different customers through agencies or websites, instead of being shot for one client.
  • copyrightThe legal right to control how a photo is copied, published and used. In most countries it belongs to the photographer from the moment the photo is taken.

More terms: Copyright & Licensing

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