Using Celebrity Images on Publications

flash harry

Anyone know what the story is with usig a celebrity's photo on a publication. When is it allowed/not allowed.

e.g. when John Terry is photographed in a match and it is used in the paper I presume he is not asked permission; if he's photoes and put in paper as he goes grevelling to his wife, he's definitely not asked permission; but if he is on the cover of say 442 Magazine I presume he is?

How does this all work???

Thanks

FH

blue4ever

It’s a developing area.

For sport it’s fairly clear cut. Photo agencies pay the Premier League for access to matches.

They snap away and file their pics with the papers/mags etc that have contracts with. The papers print the pics.

The money that the agency pay to the premier league – a portion goes to the players, a kind of “image copyright”. Big stars – like D.B. have a specific image copyright in their contacts – they have the last say in how their image are portrayed in brands/messages.

Now, to add fuel to the fire – the GPA here were looking of a slice of that action. Sportsfile, for example, would have a contact with the GAA to cover matches and have papers reproduce those image taken by them. The papers pay for those images. However (as it’s an amateur sport yada yada yada) the players get nothing from that deal…..
JT in public is fair game – is he’s coming out of a bar with someone other than the wife – and he’s in public – then snap away and sell, sell, sell. The grey area is ‘press intrusion’ – if he’s on a boat, 20 ft off the shore, then he’s not doing much to protect himself for the glaring view.

If he’s a mile off the coast and an agency used a spotter plane to take a snap.. well maybe that’s a bridge too far
Actually it’s a minefield and hopefully this scratches the surface

flash harry

thanks blue4

so let me see if i get this right....if I buy an image from sportsfile they will have rights to sell it and therefore me to use it as I SEE FIT (nothing dodgy here just front of mag say)?

If I get press clearance from say the Prem League or GAA or IRFU, any shot I take of game is mine to use?

Thanks

blue4ever

flash harry wrote: »

thanks blue4

so let me see if i get this right....if I buy an image from sportsfile they will have rights to sell it and therefore me to use it as I SEE FIT (nothing dodgy here just front of mag say)?

If I get press clearance from say the Prem League or GAA or IRFU, any shot I take of game is mine to use?

Thanks

"I SEE FIT" - in publishing only - you cant promote your kindergarten with a pic of John Terry for example - you would be given permission to use it in the normal course of your publishing - but not necessarily promoting your publication (which would be seen as commercial)

"If I get press clearance from say the Prem League or GAA or IRFU, any shot I take of game is mine to use?" - you'd only get clearance in certain cases. If you that you box brownie down to the game on Saturday, get a pic of B.O.D. scoring a try and use it as a graphic on you web site - you will be asked to take it down as you are not licensed.

Safest bet - say away from pics like that.

conolan

This is worth a read.

http://www.digitalrights.ie/2006/05/09/photographers-rights/

Axwell

blue4ever wrote: »

If he’s a mile off the coast and an agency used a spotter plane to take a snap.. well maybe that’s a bridge too far
Actually it’s a minefield and hopefully this scratches the surface

Obviously im the only one who sees the irony there..:D

If you were to buy an image of sportsfile there would be terms with the image, they would say what it can and cant go on. As blue4ever said it would be based on use in the publication and they would want to know what its for, you couldnt use it for marketing or branding. Also I would think there would be limits as to how often it can be reproduced etc i know this is the case in with stock images in graphic design etc.

As regards getting press clearance I think you would find it next to impossible. The likes of sportsfile and a handful of other photographers/agencies have the majority of sport events covered and supply all the big papers.

blue4ever

Axwell - you get the Thursday Virtual Irony Trophy

I thought it was v. funny, we chuckled typing that