Terms of Service

To use Pakutaso's photo materials and AI-generated image materials (hereinafter "free materials"), you must agree to the following terms. If you cannot agree, you cannot use the materials, so please be aware.

After reviewing the "Frequently Asked Questions," if you have any unclear points or questions, please contact us through the "Contact Form." For those who require a definite response regarding material usage, need an immediate answer, or cannot understand the terms even after reading them, we also offer paid consultation services.

[Reference: I'm concerned about proper usage and would like you to review my work]
[Reference: I would like a letter of consent if usage is permitted, or would like to establish a contract]

Table of Contents

• Terms of Use
• About AI-Generated Image Materials
• About Subject Rights
• About Human Subject Free Materials
• About Secondary Distribution
• About Credit Attribution
• Prohibited Uses
• Changes to Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy

Terms of Use

All of Pakutaso's free materials are original. Anyone can freely use them at no cost as many times as they wish. There is no need to purchase individually, register as a member, or pay licensing fees. They are royalty-free (※1) materials with no usage fees regardless of how much they are used.[web:1][web:6]
[Reference: About Content Production and Operational Policy]

They are not public domain, Creative Commons "CC0," or copyright-free materials.[web:1]
[Reference: Are they copyright-free (CC0)?]

Usable data refers to free materials obtained (downloaded) in S, M, L sizes and via the cropping function available on each material page (example: Summer Sunlight Through Trees Free Photo Material - ID.3472). Other photos and images used in site menus, banners, blogs, thumbnails, etc., cannot be used.[web:1]

• They can be used by governments, local governments, companies, individuals, and organizations. However, those who cannot be contacted in Japanese cannot use them. (※2)
• Commercial use is permitted. However, they cannot be commercialized and sold as products. (※3)
• Free materials must be obtained (※4) directly from Pakutaso, or obtained with an explanation that they are Pakutaso free materials; materials obtained by any other means cannot be used.
• They can be used with processing, compositing, transformation, or conversion.

※1 About Royalty-Free

This term does not include the meanings generally associated with the word "free," such as "free to use in all respects" or "usable without consideration of copyright." It simply means "waiving additional usage fees if used within the scope of pre-agreed terms," and in reality, some materials require purchase or membership fees, or require copyright notice (credit attribution).[web:1][web:6]

※2 About Those Who Cannot Be Contacted in Japanese

Even if you agree to the terms of service using automatic translation or similar means, you must be contactable in Japanese thereafter. If you can be contacted in Japanese, Japanese nationals living overseas or non-Japanese individuals can also use the materials.[web:1]
[Reference: I am a Japanese designer living overseas. Can I use the materials?]

※3 About Not Being Able to Commercialize and Sell as Products

Pakutaso's free materials are permitted for commercial use but not for commercialization. They must be used with the understanding that they are materials. Selling materials in nearly their original state, even with credit attribution, is subject to publication injunctions and claims for damages.[web:1]

Main examples of commercialization include calendars, postcards, posters, photo books, bromides, smartphone cases, goods, etc. Note that sample products or items for personal enjoyment are acceptable.

[Reference: You must not sell Pakutaso materials as-is]

※4 About Obtaining

Only free materials obtained legitimately by the following means may be used upon agreement to the terms of service.

1. Materials obtained directly from each Pakutaso material page
2. Materials obtained from users who obtained them by method 1, with an explanation that they are Pakutaso materials, and without monetary exchange regarding the provision of materials

Even if they are usable data free materials, those not obtained through legitimate means cannot be used.[web:1]

Overview of AI-Generated Image Materials

Please review the following information regarding the mechanism and usage of materials (hereinafter "AI-generated image materials") created using AI image generation tools (※5) before using them. Licenses that are "material use (redistribution)" and "commercially available" have been obtained for the use of AI image generation tools.[web:1]

AI-Generated Image Materials Special Page

https://www.pakutaso.com/ai/

※5 Types of AI Image Generation Tools

Representative AI image generation tools include "DALL-E-2" developed by the non-profit organization "OpenAI," "Stable Diffusion," an open-source drawing AI released for free, "Midjourney," which uses Discord and excels at generating various patterns, "Magnific AI" for high-resolution image upscaling, "FLUX.1 AI" developed by Black Forest Labs (BFL), and "Adobe Firefly," generative AI for commercial use provided by Adobe.

About AI-Generated Image Generation Types

AI image generation methods include a type that generates images aligned with prompt content by conveying specific prompts

There is also a type where pre-prepared images (e.g., multiple images such as photos of crowds and offices) are specified with additional prompts, generating images that leverage those images while following the prompts.

Pakutaso's AI-generated image materials are the latter type that "uses images to generate."

Reasons for Using Photo Materials in AI Image Generation

We use only "photos for which permission has been obtained in advance from photographers" from among the photo materials distributed by Pakutaso. Since we do not use photos taken by photographers who have not given permission or third-party copyrighted works (including those of unknown origin), you can use them with confidence like other free materials.[web:1]

By specifying Pakutaso's original photos—our strength and asset—as "images to use," we believe we can inherit the content of those photos while creating new worlds, generating more situations, and providing new materials to various industries.

About AI-Generated Image Material Selection and Image Processing

Before publishing as AI-generated image materials, we confirm that they meet the quality standards set by our management. We perform image retouching (color adjustment, correction, processing and correction of incongruous objects), regeneration using multiple photos, and high-resolution enhancement (5,000px or more) before publication.

About Subject Rights

"Projects/Collaborations" and some photography at specific facilities are conducted with prior permission. Photos of people (models) whose faces can be identified also have contracts for portrait rights usage permission (hereinafter "Model Release") established in advance before publication.[web:1][web:7][web:10]

However, some free materials contain subjects for which permission was not obtained for photography. Please understand this and ensure your use does not fall under the following categories:

• "Use that significantly damages brands"
• "Use that strongly conveys negative impressions"
• "Development of imitation products, etc. (design right infringement)"
• "Issues regarding consideration for sponsors (use case incompatibility)"
• "Use that may cause misidentification of capital relationships, partnerships, etc."

Such use may be pointed out by rights holders and manufacturers. To avoid such risks, please crop, composite, transform, or convert as necessary. For commercial use, consideration for clients and sponsors is required. Please use according to individual cases.[web:1]

For manga tracing or background use, please use with the understanding that they are materials, such as by removing identifiable parts, blurring, cropping, or adding annotations like "image is for illustrative purposes." Pakutaso assumes no responsibility for disputes or troubles that may occur.
[Reference: Can I use them as manga backgrounds?]

About Materials Where Subjects Cannot Be Identified

This donut photo is a free material that is common and cannot be identified. You can also select materials by carefully examining subjects in this way.

About Human Subject Free Materials

Human subject free materials include those for which "Model Release" contracts were established with prior permission from the subject, and those without such contracts. [web:1][web:7][web:10]
[Reference: About Human Subject Photo Materials and Portrait Rights]

Pakutaso publishes both types of free materials, and all human photos featured in the "Free Material Model List" have Model Release contracts established.

Model Release Human Photos

Those with model names indicated on each material page have "Model Release" contracts established.[web:1][web:7][web:10]

The above is a free material photographed with a Model Release contract with Tatsuya Okawa. Please use with confidence.[web:4]

Other Human Photos

Those without model name indications on each material page do not have "Model Release" contracts established.[web:1]

Photos are selected to prevent subject identification as much as possible, such as rear views, silhouettes, crowds, and masses. Please use with sufficient caution. (If necessary, please provide consideration such as cropping or blurring.)

Prohibited Uses of Human Photos

Use that falls under the following items is prohibited in principle.[web:1]

• Use that significantly lowers the evaluation of individual models or their affiliated agencies
• Use as image characters or official images
• Impersonation use

However, the permissible scope varies for each "Free Material Model," so if you cannot make a judgment, please crop to prevent model identification or contact us in advance through the "Contact Form." In addition to the above, prohibited uses as Pakutaso free materials also apply.

Cases without sufficient processing are subject to unauthorized use.[web:1]

Impersonation use such as SNS, solicitation, employee introductions, success stories, purchaser testimonials, etc., is not permitted, so please be careful.
[Reference: I want to use photo materials for customer testimonials]

Use in sample pages, demo sites, and mockup data is permitted only when name changes are clearly indicated or annotated.
[Reference: Can I use model photos in flyers or advertisements?]

About Secondary Distribution

Pakutaso wants many people to use our free materials and partially supports secondary distribution use in templates, etc., with credit attribution and link insertion.[web:1]
[Reference: Can they be used in CMS design templates?]

How to Use for Secondary Distribution

When distributing free materials in a state where third parties can use them, in addition to credit attribution, you must present Pakutaso's terms of service and obtain agreement. For example, for sites where free materials can be directly downloaded from within templates, please announce on each applicable page.[web:1]

Images usable for secondary distribution are "S size" only, with a maximum of "100 images." For high-resolution sizes or more than 100 images, only paid arrangements are available, so please contact us through the "Contact Form."

[Example of Secondary Distribution Notice]
The materials used in this template are free materials from Pakutaso [[https://www.pakutaso.com](https://www.pakutaso.com)]. If recipients of secondary distributions wish to continue using these materials, they must download them from the official Pakutaso site themselves or agree to Pakutaso's Terms of Service [[https://www.pakutaso.com/userpolicy.html](https://www.pakutaso.com/userpolicy.html)]. Please note that if you cannot agree, you cannot use the materials.

About Credit Attribution

Credit attribution is not mandatory except for secondary distribution or book covers. However, we would appreciate it if you could provide attribution to boost morale for Pakutaso management and photographers. [web:1]
[Reference: FAQ: I want to use them for book covers or music jackets]

For Text Attribution

• Free Material Pakutaso [[https://www.pakutaso.com](https://www.pakutaso.com)]
• Pakutaso [[https://www.pakutaso.com](https://www.pakutaso.com)]

To attribute photographers or models:

• Photo by Photographer Name
• Model by Model Name

For Inserting Links on Websites

<a href="https://www.pakutaso.com" title="Free Material 'Pakutaso'" >Free Material "Pakutaso"</a>

When Using Logo Data

Download various logo data from the "Pakutaso Official Logo" page and use them.

Prohibited Uses

Uses or actions that fall under the following are prohibited. Please absolutely refrain from these as they make operation difficult.[web:1]

• Use that infringes or may infringe intellectual property rights such as copyright and trademark rights, property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or portrait rights
• Actions that place excessive load on networks or systems, or actions that may interfere with operations
• Providing photo materials to other stock photo services
• Use contrary to public order and morals
• Antisocial use
• Direct linking to free materials
• Use that may violate laws such as criminal laws
• Adult (R18)/sex industry/sexual depictions/religion/drugs/strikes/demonstrations/opposition groups/drugs/night services/ dating services (matchmaking/matching/dating information/businesses registered for internet opposite-sex introduction services/other cases where management determines them to be dating services, etc.)

[Reference: I distribute videos related to the sex industry. Can I use them if I avoid direct expressions?]
[Reference: Can they be used for dating sites?]
[Reference: I asked a third party to create an adult site banner and learned it was unauthorized use.]

• Use that causes inconvenience to third parties
• Use or actions deemed inappropriate by management
• Use involving defamation or actual harm

Actions of Directly Confirming Usage Methods with Related Parties

Actions of confirming free material usage methods or permissions with management personnel, models, or photographers are prohibited. Everything is managed by Pakutaso, so please absolutely refrain from such actions. If you make direct contact, usage will be suspended even if usage was permitted. Also, even if individual responses are received, they are not official views, so please be fully aware.[web:1]
[Reference: May I directly confirm usage methods with models or photographers?]

Handling of Prohibited Uses

When use that violates prohibited uses (hereinafter "unauthorized use") occurs, or when Pakutaso management determines there may be a violation, we have the right to enjoin the use of free materials. Users who receive warnings for unauthorized use must promptly remove or delete works, etc. For malicious users who do not respond to repeated warnings, we will report to police and providers, and will reluctantly consider legal action. If use that violates prohibited uses is covered by external news sites or media or spread on SNS, etc., users shall be responsible for requesting deletion of applicable articles, etc., or requesting suspension of publication, etc.[web:1]

Usage Fees for Unauthorized Use

From the day unauthorized use is discovered, we will charge an unauthorized use fee of ¥30,000/day per material, or ¥300,000. If profits are generated from unauthorized use (such as commercialization or material sales), all sales amounts will be charged separately from the unauthorized use fee.[web:1]

Changes to Terms of Service

• Pakutaso management can change the content of the terms of service within necessary scope.
• Changed terms of service will be posted on the Pakutaso site (https://www.pakutaso.com/userpolicy.html) and will be applied from the day after the posting date (or on that date if an application start date is specifically designated).
• Users shall not object to changes to the terms of service.

Severability

Even if any provision of the terms of service or part thereof is determined to be invalid or unenforceable under laws, etc., the remaining provisions of the terms of service and the remaining parts of provisions determined to be partially invalid or unenforceable shall continue to have full effect.[web:1]

Privacy Policy

About Use of Amazon Associate Program

Pakutaso is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.jp.[web:1]

About Use of Google Analytics and Search Console

Pakutaso uses Google Analytics and Google Search Console for quality improvement and operational continuity. Both services use cookies to collect data such as access numbers and download numbers. For details about this data, please check Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.[web:1]

Google Privacy Policy
How Google Uses Data Collected
Google Analytics Terms of Service