| OK, hands up those of us who have not at any | | | | depend on the type of rights to it that |
| one time in your career as a Web Master or | | | | you've purchased. Generally, unless it is |
| designer not used the odd pinched photo or | | | | stipulated beforehand, you are purchasing the |
| image ripped off from someone else's website. | | | | rights to use the image once. That is, if |
| | | | you buy the image and use it on your website, |
| Well if we are all honest then probably all | | | | it is understood that you cannot take the |
| of us at any one time have possibly used an | | | | same image and print it in a brochure or on a |
| image that was either incorrectly procured or | | | | t-shirt. You have not purchased the image |
| not paid for at all. Now there are two ways | | | | outright to do with it as you will, you have |
| of looking at this. Firstly theft is theft | | | | only purchased the rights to use it in the |
| and there is no denying this and its all very | | | | manner specified in the contract. |
| well to talk about "ah well they're large | | | | |
| companies and they would not miss it" but | | | | Purchasing stock images online can make this |
| that is escaping the point. The company might | | | | a bit of a touchy situation, as people have a |
| well not miss the cash flow (and this in the | | | | tendency to ignore Terms of Use contracts |
| light of recent events with companies | | | | when they digitally sign something. |
| clamping down on harder and harder on | | | | Purchasing a stock photo online, however, is |
| copyright theft is doubtful) but the | | | | no different than doing so from a brick and |
| individual photographer will. | | | | mortar stock photo company. The contract is |
| | | | just as binding as if you had signed it with |
| So this last point is worth remembering. How | | | | a ball point pen. |
| would you feel if you were a photographer and | | | | |
| you earned your living by taking photographs | | | | A photographer owns the copyright for his or |
| and selling the rights of the images to | | | | her photograph, unless it was a "work for |
| customers but everybody kept using your | | | | hire," in which case, the person or company |
| services for free and nobody showed any | | | | who commissioned the photo or the stock |
| intention of paying? | | | | agency would own the copyrights to the |
| | | | photograph. This also depends upon the |
| I think we all know the answer to that | | | | contract between the photographer and the |
| question? The thing is, why run the risk of | | | | contractor. Unless you have purchased all |
| having the likes of Getty images come around | | | | rights to the photograph, your usage of it |
| and threatened to sue you because you've | | | | will be limited. The full rights will |
| ripped off one of their images when there are | | | | generally cost considerably more than limited |
| more than enough reasonably priced photo | | | | rights. |
| libraries around. The real kicker is that you | | | | |
| don't have to spend a fortune if you know | | | | Once you have purchased the perfect stock |
| where to look. | | | | photo, however, you are free to use it as you |
| | | | like. Sometimes there are limitations to how |
| When you buy a stock photo image, you are | | | | it can be used, but generally you may |
| essentially purchasing the rights to use the | | | | manipulate the photo as you need to in order |
| photograph. The limits to this license | | | | to get the desired image. |