Copyright Infringement
Creative works are protected by copyright. Don't use another person's copyrighted photograph, painting, music or words without permission because doing so could result in liability for copyright infringement. Many real estate professionals own websites that feature an IDX display, and infringing materials may inadvertently appear on those websites through the IDX display. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") protects website owners from copyright infringement liability for content posted to a website by a third party provided the website owner complies with the necessary requirements.
LAER and its agents have been sued for Copyright Infringement for using photos that come from the web. For example, in 2023, an agent inadvertently used a photo of a tennis court from a local condo complex for one of her listings. The photographer found out that his photo was used and sued for over $24,000. LAER eventually settled the matter at significant expense to the agent and to the brokerage.
Please do not use photos of anything you find on the web. This includes memes with motivational quotes, pictures of common areas at a condo, or even pretty picturesque holiday photos.
The best way to protect yourself is to always use your own photos (ones that you took with your own camera or phone) or upgrade to the PAID version of Canva which offers you hundreds of thousands of stock images for a tiny investment.