What can you use free public domain images for? What are the restrictions?

Question: What can you use free public domain images for!? What are the restrictions!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I have to ask how you know they are public domain !? The photographer owns the copyright!. They do not have to put a copyright symbol on them!. They do not have to watermark them!. They do not have to register them!. They do not have to put copyright data in the exif file!. If they have not signed away all or part of the rights they still have them even if they are posted on a public web site!. If it is a royalty free stock site then you have to use them under the conditions of the site!. If the picture is truely public domain or the copyright has expired you can use it!.

Just because it is on the web does NOT mean it is public domain and does NOT mean that the photographer does not have all rights to how his photo is used and who can use it!.

The exception is that copyright materials may be used without permission for uses considered "fair use" These are very limited and include purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research!. Fair use is not an infringement of copyright!.

Go to http://www!.copyright!.gov/title17/

Here is what ASMP copyright tutorial says
"The penalties for infringement can be formidable: Willful copyright infringement — that is, when the infringer knows exactly what he’s doing and does it anyway — can get the pirate a federal suit that could lead to jail time or a big fine, or both!. Consider: if the willful infringer uses, without permission, a copyrighted item with a commercial value of more than $1000 but less than $2500, that could earn him a year in the federal prison, or cost him a sizable amount in a fine!. And a civil case could slam the offender with damages as high as $150,000 per image pilfered!. "

http://www!.asmp!.org/commerce/legal/copyr!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

If the images are free and in the public domain without any copyright information attached to them you may use them freely without any restrictions!.Www@QuestionHome@Com