It's all copyright

Contrary to popular opinion, online clip-art (like any art) is protected by copyright laws. Whether it's already been used on numerous Web pages or whether a copyright notice appears on or near the image doesn't matter. It's all copyrighted.

On the other hand, there are collections of clip-art on the web. To see if you can use those on your website, carefully study the conditions of use. If they stipulate that the clip-art is royalty free, you're only half way there. Even though no royalty applies, you may be required to acknowledge the source, or obtain written permission to use the clip-art on your website.

If you use someone else's copyrighted art, you must get permission to do so. Whether the use is educational, personal, or non-commercial is irrelevant. If you fail to secure permission, you run the risk of a irate phone call or maybe a legal document from the owner's lawyer.

In most cases, if you simply stop using the image in question, you can avoid any further legal action, but who wants to deal with all that hassle?

In addition to graphics, you may be tempted to "borrow" information from another website. Again you need to be careful of copyright. Check carefully. Some material may be available if you acknowledge the source. Other material will require written permission. Still other material is totally copyright and the owner of the copyright will not release it under any circumstances. You must respect the owner's wishes.

If you cannot use the actual material on your website, you may be able to link to it and the owner may even be prepared to link to your site generating extra traffic for both sites. If you do create such a link, check it regularly to ensure that it is still working.