Copyright issues

[GeonSG]

It makes alot of sense coming from different people. So is there actually a good way to balance this equation while one can get assignments and still made known what is included without scaring good customers away?

 

[catchlights]

To my understanding, we inherit the laws from UK, so are the same as many commonwealth countries,

UK already move on, Aussie also move on, so are many other people already move on, we still left far far behind,

since nobody make noise, so nobody bother, cos nothing broke, why fix it?




The copyright law here is very simple, if no agreement to supersede, the law says who commissioned you to shoot, he keep the copyrights.

so if you want to keep the copyrights, you can always ask your client sign agreement before you shoot for them, but mind you, there are many photographers out there willing to shoot at half of your price and give everything to the clients.




so what can you do now?

- We can charge high enough to cover everything and give the rights away, as per the laws say.
- Ask the client to agree with photographers keep the rights, and they are paying lower fee as licence to use the images. We able to resell the images for supplementing our income.
- Educate photographers about the laws and how to negotiate rates, usage, licence etc.
- Create a movement to amend the current copyrights law.

 

[sjackal]

To my understanding, we inherit the laws from UK, so are the same as many commonwealth countries,

UK already move on, Aussie also move on, so are many other people already move on, we still left far far behind,

since nobody make noise, so nobody bother, cos nothing broke, why fix it?




The copyright law here is very simple, if no agreement to supersede, the law says who commissioned you to shoot, he keep the copyrights.

so if you want to keep the copyrights, you can always ask your client sign agreement before you shoot for them, but mind you, there are many photographers out there willing to shoot at half of your price and give everything to the clients.




so what can you do now?

- We can charge high enough to cover everything and give the rights away, as per the laws say.
- Ask the client to agree with photographers keep the rights, and they are paying lower fee as licence to use the images. We able to resell the images for supplementing our income.
- Educate photographers about the laws and how to negotiate rates, usage, licence etc.
- Create a movement to amend the current copyrights law.

Right on Mr Ben.

And... end of the day its beating a dead horse again and this becomes yet another copyright thread of similar discussion.

 

[sjackal]

It makes alot of sense coming from different people. So is there actually a good way to balance this equation while one can get assignments and still made known what is included without scaring good customers away?

Judgement call IMHO. Dependings on genre, client requirement, industry norm and how niche you are.

 

[NoBob]

> industry norm. Who's setting that norm?

Good customers won't be scared away. The good ones will agree to your fees because they value your work and respect your right to keep the copyright to *your* work.

Another example of how a photographer would lose out by not holding onto their copyright:

I was commissioned to photograph a property not long back. The client that commissioned me can use the photographs, but no one else. Later on, the house owner decided they wanted to use the photographs. If I'd handed over the copyright, the client that commissioned me could have just handed over the images to the owner, and I never would have been able to charge for the prints now hanging on the owner's wall...