The Google-Images-download habit feels harmless until the invoice arrives. Here is what a Pakistani website can legally use — in plain rules.
The safe sources (in order) 1. **Your own photos:** unambiguously yours — and the authenticity bonus applies (real shop shots outperform stock anyway) 2. **Customer-provided:** with written permission (the WhatsApp 'can we use this photo?' that saves the record) 3. **Free-license libraries:** Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay — commercial use allowed, no attribution required (courtesy credit is nice). Check each image's page — licenses vary per photo 4. **Purchased stock:** Shutterstock/Adobe-class — read the licence tier (web use vs print runs differ) 5. **Government/CC works:** verify per source; 'public domain' claims need checking
The traps (the expensive habits) - **Google Images:** a search engine, not a library — everything there belongs to someone. The 'it was on Google' defense has never once worked - **'Free to use' aggregator sites:** re-hosting others' work with a free sticker — the licence is fiction - **Social media photos:** a viral image is still copyrighted; 'credit to owner' is not a licence - **Competitor websites:** their product shots are their property (and using them proves yours are worse)
The AI-image question AI-generated images (Midjourney, DALL-E, free generators): usable in practice, with two cautions — read the tool's commercial-use terms (most allow it), and avoid prompts referencing living artists/brands. For product-critical visuals, real photography still converts better anyway.
The enforcement reality International stock agencies use automated image-matching and DO invoice Pakistani sites (PKR 20,000+ per image is the standard settlement demand). The risk is not theoretical — it is an automated invoice with your URL on it.
The clean rule: own it, license it, or shoot it. An afternoon of proper sourcing protects a decade of publishing — and your real photos will sell better than anything you could have stolen anyway.