What Is Creative Commons Zero (CC0) and What Can You Actually Do With CC0 Images?

Updated

CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) is a public-domain dedication: the creator gives up copyright and related rights to the work, so you can copy, modify, distribute, and use it commercially without asking permission or giving attribution. It applies to the image itself — not to trademarks, logos, or people's likenesses that may appear in it. If you need images you can drop into a client project, a product page, or a paid ad without tracking credits, CC0 is the simplest license to work with.

What CC0 actually means

CC0 is not a license in the usual sense — it's a waiver. The creator states they will not enforce copyright over the work, effectively placing it in the public domain. That's different from most "free" image licenses, which keep copyright with the creator and grant you limited permissions.

Under CC0, the creator waives rights to the extent the law allows. In jurisdictions where a full waiver isn't possible, CC0 includes a fallback license granting you unrestricted use. Either way, the practical result for you is the same: no restrictions on how you use the image.

What you can do with CC0 images

The permissions are broad. You can:

  • Use commercially — in ads, products, client work, merchandise, or anything you sell
  • Modify — crop, recolor, composite, or build on the image
  • Redistribute — share the image itself, including in a collection or template
  • Skip attribution — no credit line, no link back, no author name required
  • Use without time limits — the permission doesn't expire

There's no requirement to ask the creator, notify them, or pay a fee. You also don't need to keep any license notice attached, though keeping a record of where an image came from is good practice for your own files.

CC0 vs. royalty free vs. public domain

These three terms get used interchangeably, but they mean different things:

Term Who keeps copyright Attribution Commercial use Typical catch
CC0 No one (waived) Not required Yes Watch for trademarks and people in the shot
Royalty free Creator or agency Usually not required Usually yes License terms still apply; may restrict resale or redistribution
Public domain Expired or waived Not required Yes Can be hard to verify; rules vary by country

"Royalty free" means you pay once (or nothing) and don't owe ongoing royalties — but the copyright holder still sets terms. You might be barred from reselling the image as-is or using it in a logo. CC0 removes those conditions entirely. Public domain and CC0 overlap in effect, but CC0 is a deliberate, documented act by the creator, which makes it easier to verify.

What CC0 does not cover

A CC0 mark on an image doesn't clear everything in the frame. Two things to check:

  • Trademarks and logos — if a brand mark is visible, using the photo in a way that implies endorsement can create problems unrelated to copyright.
  • People and property — a recognizable person or private building may require a model or property release for commercial use, depending on your jurisdiction and how the image is used.

CC0 also doesn't guarantee the uploader actually owned the image. A platform can label something CC0 while the uploader had no right to do so. That's a risk you manage by choosing sources with a track record.

Where to find CC0 images you can trust

Look for platforms that state the license clearly on each image and explain their sourcing. LibreStock, for example, publishes ten exclusive photos each month under CC0, captured by photographers rather than generated by AI, and states the images are free for any use, forever. Its collections are time-limited — each set is available for one month before being replaced — so if you want a specific image, download it while it's live.

When evaluating any CC0 source, check:

  1. The license statement on the image page — it should say CC0 or public domain, not just "free."
  2. Whether attribution is requested — CC0 doesn't require it, but some sites ask as a courtesy.
  3. The upload policy — sites that require contributors to confirm ownership reduce (not eliminate) the risk of mislabeled images.
  4. The download terms — confirm there's no account, payment, or usage cap you'd be agreeing to.

A practical example

Say you're building a landing page for a coffee subscription and need a hero image. You find a CC0 photo of a pour-over on a trusted CC0 site. You crop it to a wide banner, apply a color overlay, and publish it next to your pricing table. No credit line, no license fee, no follow-up email to the photographer. If a customer later asks where the image came from, you can point to the source and its CC0 designation — but you were never obligated to display that.

If that same photo had been "royalty free" instead, you'd need to read the specific license: it might prohibit use in a paid ad, or require you to keep the photographer's name in the metadata.

Common points of confusion

  • "CC0 means I can claim it as my own." You can use it freely, but you can't claim you created it if you didn't. Copyright waiver doesn't transfer authorship.
  • "If it's CC0, it's safe for anything." Copyright-wise, yes. But a photo of a branded product or a recognizable face still carries non-copyright considerations.
  • "Free means CC0." Many free image sites use their own restrictive licenses. Check the actual license text, not the price.
  • "I found it on a CC0 site, so it's CC0." Verify the license on the individual image page — sites sometimes mix licensed and CC0 content.