You can download standard-resolution images and embed films or sound recordings from the IWM website free of charge, for your own private and Non-Commercial use, under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence. We do not permit the use of high-resolution images online.

To find out which files are covered by this licence and available for your use, please go to Collections Search and use the filter "Share and Reuse". These will be indicated mainly as © IWM or © Crown Copyright: IWM.

Unless otherwise indicated in an exhibition, when you visit our branches you are encouraged to take photographs and/ or films for your own Non-Commercial personal use. Please respect the privacy of other museum visitors.

In this licence we use the term ‘Information’ to mean all the types of files you can use. You are encouraged to use the Information available under this licence, freely and flexibly, within these conditions.

Using Information Under This Licence

When you use the Information made available under this licence, you accept these terms and conditions. If you fail to comply with them, the rights granted to you under this licence will end automatically. We will work with publishers and online platforms to take down Information that has been used in ways that breach this licence.

IWM grants you a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive licence to use the Information for non-commercial purposes subject to the conditions below. IWM reserves the right to undertake legal proceedings if you use the Information for commercial gain or if you have not secured IWM consent to use the Information for any other purpose not identified within the licence terms. 

This licence does not affect your freedom under fair dealing or fair use or any other copyright exceptions and limitations. 

You Can:

  • copy, publish, distribute and transmit the Information for Non-Commercial purposes; and
  • download, embed or link to any Information for Non-Commercial purposes.

For example, these are all permitted Non-Commercial uses:

  • personal use for your own research and private study;
  • reproducing an image in your school, college or university essay or dissertation; 
  • downloading audio-visual files for your own offline listening or viewing;
  • press and media usage approved by our Communications team; 
  • your personal websites and blogs with a primarily factual, informational purpose; 
  • posting files with the specified attribution statements on your personal social media accounts (for example Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook), provided you are not promoting yourself commercially; 
  • any website or video hosting platform that contains no advertisements, the sale of retail products or any form of monetary transaction, including subscriptions, product placement or donations;
  • free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee; 
  • educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training, which is not behind a paywall;
  • any use NOT intended for or primarily directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation, including the promotion of a business or gaining users, sales or donations; and
  • other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.

You Must:

  • acknowledge the source of the Information by including the specified IWM attribution statement every time you use the Information, so that other users can find it and understand the historical context behind it. On IWM’s Collections Online, the attribution statement is shown under the media. It starts with the copyright symbol, followed by numbers and letters, such as: © IWM HU 102374, © IWM A 33866; © IWM MGH 3773; © IWM Art.IWM ART LD 2750; and
  • ensure that your use of the Information does not breach the requirements of current Data Protection Legislation.

You Could Also:

  • where possible on digital platforms, provide the url of the iwm.org webpage where you obtained the Information, so that other users can find it too (e.g. www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/2143).

You Must Not:

  • adapt, manipulate, alter, crop, colourise, remove IWM logos or watermarks, or amend the Information in any way that changes it; 
  • apply your own watermarks, logos or any other content to the Information;
  • upload the Information to third party sites such as Wikimedia; 
  • sell the Information or use it in any Commercial activity by, for example, including it in your own product or application which is used in a Commercial activity, or by using it for the purposes of advertising or promoting Commercial products; 
  • use the Information in a way that suggests any official status;
  • use the Information in a way that trivialises, sensationalises, de-contextualises or demeans the subject matter;
  • use the Information in a way that suggests that IWM or any third party rights holder endorses you or your use of the Information; or
  • mislead others or knowingly misrepresent the Information or its source.

For example, these are all Commercial uses: 

  • anything that is charged for, including books or journals; 
  • a website, blog or any social media channels that you use as a platform to promote or conduct your commercial activities (for example, to sell your products or services), including YouTube channels with advertising or subscribers or part of the Partner Program; 
  • fundraising for or campaigning on behalf of any organisation; 
  • a commercial organisation's website, including trading arms of charities; 
  • freely distributed leaflets or merchandise that promote goods or services; or
  • free-entry events, presentations, lectures or any displays in public places offering or promoting a product or service. 

Exemptions

This licence does not cover the use of:

  • personal data in the Information (https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/key-definitions/what-is-personal-data/ );
  • departmental or public sector organisation logos, crests, military insignia and the Royal Arms except where they form an integral part of the Information; or
  • Information subject to other intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, and design rights. 

No Warranty

The Information is licensed ‘as is’ and IWM excludes all representations, warranties, obligations and liabilities in relation to the Information to the maximum extent permitted by law.
IWM is not liable for any errors or omissions in the Information and shall not be liable for any loss, injury or damage of any kind caused by its use.

Governing Law

This licence is governed by the laws of England and Wales and is subject to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh High Courts.

Definitions

In this licence, the terms below have the following meanings: 

'Commercial' means intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or private monetary compensation.

'Crown Copyright’ means Information which is subject to copyright owned by the Crown. IWM has delegated authority from the Keeper of Public Records to license Information which is subject to Crown Copyright. 

'Information' means information protected by copyright or by database right, including but not limited to information subject to Crown Copyright offered for use under the terms of this licence. Information includes but is not limited to literary and artistic works such as text and images, sound recordings, broadcasts, films and musical works.

'IWM (Imperial War Museums)' means the organisation providing the Information under this licence which has the authority to offer Information under the terms of this licence including Information subject to Crown copyright and other Information not subject to Crown copyright under the terms of this licence. 

'Non-Commercial' means not intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or private monetary compensation. 

'Use' as a verb, means doing any act which is restricted by copyright or database right, whether in the original medium or in any other medium, and includes for the purpose of this licence use without limitation distributing or copying in accordance with the terms of this licence . 

'You' means the natural or legal person, or body of persons corporate or incorporate, acquiring rights under this licence.

About This Licence

Last updated April 2022. This licence has been developed in accordance with the principles set out in the UK Government’s Licensing Framework.

If you would like to use IWM collections material in a way that is not covered by the usages listed above, require a commercial licence or high-resolution copies, please contact our Licensing Teams by visiting our Image and Film Licensing page with detailed information regarding your proposed usage and deadline. We charge for our services and fees will apply for commercial use.