Over recent years photographic forums have resounded with grumblings about competitions that make it a condition of entry that photographers surrender all rights to submitted images indefinitely.
The legal position in most countries is that the photographer automatically has the copyright in their work, unless they sign that right away.
So is there any reason why competition organisers need photographers to surrender their rights completely? Well no, not at all.
The standard way a photographer releases the use of his/her work to a client is to grant them use within parameters which meet the need of the client. Once this has been satisfied the client can negotiate subsequent uses, or the photographer can grant uses to other buyers. Well that’s a simple overview but you can read about it in more detail by visiting the Copyright4Clients web site.
In effect the Competition can act like any other client, asking for certain exclusivity to satisfy the needs of the project. Thereafter the photographer should be free to exploit the copyright in their own work in whatever way they wish.
The standard Usage Contract has proven good enough for the industry over many years.
So how can Competition organisers justify a wholesale rights grab? Quite simply they can’t.
But every day we receive emails that implore us to enter competitions that do just that.
Copyright applies to professionals and amateurs alike and both deserve to retain the rights in their own creations.
To this end PRODIG is supporting the current efforts of our colleagues at the PI (Professional Imaging) Forum to raise the profile of this issue.
link: PI ‘Photo Competitions – Rights Grabbing Raids?’
link: Copyright4Clients
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