Local paper freelance and copyright
Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:51 pm
I did some jobs for a local paper, however they insisted on owning the copyright on images I took with my equipment. This was on a per job basis.
As far as I am aware the normal procedure is for the photographer to license the images to the paper (so they can print them). For freelance work the photographer is the copyright holder from what I can see. The exception to this is a "staff" photographer who is using the paper's equipment and on a payroll.
I ended my relationship with the paper for this reason. One of the appeals of being "out there" at events etc is your ability to control what happens to your photos (ie social media posting) and prints. I've never heard of a paper asking for copyright, so I decided it was best to walk away.
As far as I am aware the normal procedure is for the photographer to license the images to the paper (so they can print them). For freelance work the photographer is the copyright holder from what I can see. The exception to this is a "staff" photographer who is using the paper's equipment and on a payroll.
I ended my relationship with the paper for this reason. One of the appeals of being "out there" at events etc is your ability to control what happens to your photos (ie social media posting) and prints. I've never heard of a paper asking for copyright, so I decided it was best to walk away.