Photography Law & Legal

On May 25, a Miami photographer was handcuffed and had his equipment seized when he attempted to take photos of an accident scene. 

A conclusion has been reached in what is described as a “landmark California case,” where a photographer sued numerous media outlets for embedding his photo of Tom Brady within news articles. The photographer originally posted the picture on Snapchat, from where it was then posted by internet users on Twitter, the posts of which the media used as their embeds.

If you spend enough time in this field, your images are going to be stolen at some point, quite possibly on Instagram. What do you do at that point? This video follows a photographer as he discusses a recent case of his own.

An LA-based photo agency has apologized and agreed to pay “substantial” damages to Prince Harry after they flew a helicopter over his home, taking images of his living room and bedroom.

Ariana Grande may be everywhere at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped the chart-topper becoming the latest in an ever-expanding line of celebrities to face copyright laws. She is now being sued after posting paparazzi photos of herself to her Instagram page, so we ask, should photographers be paid for their usage of such images on Instagram?

Adobe’s recent decision to scrap its smaller price plans for Creative Cloud angered many of its loyal customers. The company then discontinued older versions of its applications and restricted the software available for download. Now, to make matters worse, customers using older versions are being warned they may face legal action.

Late last year, Jennifer Lopez found herself embroiled in a $150,000 lawsuit. After initially calling for the case to be dismissed, she has in the last few days had a change of heart, agreeing to settle with the photographer.

Last year, a federal court in Virginia caused an outcry amongst the photography community after ruling it “fair use” for an image to be used for commercial purposes without permission from its’ photographer. However, the controversial decision has now been reversed by an appeals court.

In a Facebook Newsroom post, the company announced that both Facebook and Instagram have filed a lawsuit against a company and related individuals for selling "fake engagement services to Instagram users." The lawsuit is an escalation in the ongoing battle against fake followers and likes.

It isn't fearmongering to say that one mistake, and not even necessarily your own, can bankrupt your photography business if you're uninsured. So Fstoppers have teamed up with Insurance Canopy who have created Full Frame Photography Insurance to go over the issue and offer some insight.

Musician Justin Bieber is facing a lawsuit filed by a photographer he accidentally hit with his truck in 2017. The paparazzo had been trying to take pictures of Bieber leaving Church and, despite first defending the singer, now says he suffers with “permanent disability.”

Visual China Group, the company who acquired 500px a little over a year ago, has been criticized online after appearing to license and claim copyright to the first-ever black hole picture that’s been circulating the internet over the past week.

In an interesting copyright dispute, Mercedes is asking a judge to rule in its favor after four artists sued the car giant for including their graffiti murals in Instagram posts of the latest Mercedes SUV.

The makers of photo editing app VSCO are suing their “direct competitor” PicsArt for allegedly thieving photo filters. PicsArt employees are accused of making VSCO accounts with “obvious email address” in order to examine and copy filters.

Getty has found itself in hot water after a class action naming the licensing giant has been brought about. The lawsuit alleges they have been licensing images that are already freely available to the public, as well as using “deceptive techniques” to convince potential buyers that Getty holds the image rights.

Visitors to the newly-opened Hudson Yards, which is the largest private real estate development in the US, features a giant structure called Vessel. The 16-storey building is open to the public – but by visiting, you agree to hand over the copyright of any photos taken while there, and in doing so permit the company to use the images royalty-free worldwide.

An Arizona police officer has come under fire after he threatened to arrest a young journalist after telling her: "I don’t want to hear about any of that freedom of the press stuff."

Two Denver police officers have been disciplined after an investigation into an incident during which they handcuffed a journalist who was filming an arrest from a sidewalk.

Google stands to look drastically different if a new copyright law that has just been passed comes into full effect. Throughout Europe, companies like Google could be faced with the prospect of paying a licensing fee to use images for thumbnails, something that has always previously been legal.

A photographer based between LA and NYC has fallen victim to an “international travel scam” on a huge scale, which saw her end up in Indonesia and down thousands of dollars, in what she believes may have been part of a larger kidnapping plot.

In 2015, Florida passed the Freedom From Unwanted Surveillance Act, which forbids police from using drones to surveil citizens. Miami Beach police seem to think they've come up with a way around that.

What started as a simple copyright dispute between MetalBlast writer, photographer and full-time attorney J Salmeron has quickly escalated to Thunderball Clothing owner Marta Gabriel announcing the company will be shutting down due to the immense amount of hate comments received.

You may have seen an article floating around online about the metal band Arch Enemy banning photographer and full-time attorney, J Salmeron, from photographing their future shows after sending a takedown notice to an indie clothing company for using his image on social media.

Dutch photographer, YouTuber, and full-time attorney J Salmeron of Metal Blast took to the platform to explain how he was banned from photographing future Arch Enemy live shows as a result of requesting payment after a band’s sponsor used one of his images to promote their clothing. 

One photographer has learned about royalty-free licensing the hard way. After failing to read the terms and conditions when uploading to Shutterstock, he found his image was used on over 500,000 units of merchandise being sold at Walmart stores. He received $1.88.

One of the first things I learned early on after becoming a full-time photographer is the importance of establishing a diversity of revenue streams. I’m not a traditional commercial photographer whose brand is predominantly focused in one area, or specialty, such as booking client gigs (weddings, maternity, etc), shooting products photography for companies, or catering to the swath of people who need headshots.

A British student will be put on trial in Egypt for spying after he took an image with his phone from a plane he was flying on.

It’s one of the most photographed and recognizable monuments in modern history. But did you know it’s actually illegal to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower at night?

Are you taking full advantage of every single tax break you can get in your photography business? This upcoming tax season, follow these tips to make sure you keep as much of those hard-earned dollars as you can. 

Vantage Robotics’ small, 4K-capable Snap drone has some unique safety features that enable it to earn what will be the first certification of its kind from the FAA to fly over crowds of people for both emergency and non-emergency purposes.

We live in a time when photography becomes more and more commonplace but appreciation of the commercial value of photography is uncommon. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that copyright lawsuits from photographers are increasing.

A videographer is taking legal action against Adobe, as he claims their Premiere Pro software deleted files — including both original and edited photos and videos — from his hard drive.

Running a business always entails risk, and photography businesses are no exception. Let's explore the various financial challenges we face and ways we can protect ourselves and our livelihood.

Being a brand ambassador can come with some nice perks (such as free gear), but of course, you're bound to use the gear from the company you represent. One brand ambassador for Samsung violated that, and now, the company is suing her for a seven-figure amount.

It's a situation every street photographer (and some others) will encounter at some point: you'll take a picture of someone, they'll see you do it, and they'll ask (or demand) that you delete it. Would you delete the picture?

From sketch renderings to video surveillance, law enforcement uses many techniques to piece together clues for crime-solving. Details and memory often fail us, but there's one medium that never forgets - photography.

On October 5, President Trump signed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, funding the Federal Aviation Administration through 2023. The law includes several new measures that could affect drone pilots in the U.S.

Critics are unhappy with a new bill that has just been passed, allowing authorities to shoot down private drones. It allows the government to destroy any drone that is considered a “credible threat,” and many believe the move is “dangerous” and “doesn’t include enough safeguards.”

A woman has described herself as “heartbroken” after she was one of 12 people to appear on Fox News to out a wedding photographer they say takes money but delivers blurry photos, if she even turns up at all. They all allegedly paid thousands, but had to threaten court action before receiving any photos and found what they did recover to be woefully inadequate.

In one of the most shocking photo theft cases in recent memory, Zillow are being sued for around $81 million by a real estate photographer who claims the company used more than 543 of his images without his permission.

A debate has erupted in Ireland after Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan publicly supported the notion that it should be illegal to take any photos of the Gardai, Ireland’s police service, while they are on duty. It follows one police officer having his name and photo published in an angry backlash online.

A new debate on plagiarism has been ignited after a South African photographer attended an art fair, only to find his photograph altered and credited to someone else. The American artist claiming credit for the work has questioned whether the photographer can still claim ownership.

Legendary rock singer Rod Stewart has joined the growing list of celebrity musicians being sued for copyright infringement. The case follows incidents involving Bruno Mars and Jessica Simpson, who both became embroiled in high-profile copyright court cases. Unlike his peers, Stewart is accused of using imagery for a gig backdrop without permission.

BuzzFeed is a global news organization and entertainment division set on sharing video and content across multiple platforms. You would think they would know a few things about photo rights, but they chose to ignore them.

By now, everyone within the EU has witnessed the effects of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the Internet. One festival held in the Netherlands has come up with an unconventional way to try to combat the issue of attendees wishing to not have their photo taken.

Europe’s highest court said that a German school violated a photographer's copyright when a student presentation containing one of his pictures was published on its website.

In what will serve as a stark warning to anyone dealing with model release forms, one author is coming forward with her story: after taking part in a free photoshoot some years ago, she has found her photo (and face) being used for campaigns and endorsements across the globe, without her consent and without any financial compensation.

If you have a strong online presence or pay to market your photography business, bogus leads can bombard your inbox. Atlanta photographer Katie Coon received one recently.

Photography is not commonplace in America's jails. However, an article recently published in the Greenfield Recorder reports on photography courses given to inmates in Massachusetts and the reactions of the students.

In a court ruling last week, Robert Davidson, the sculptor of a Statue of Liberty replica in Las Vegas, was awarded $3.5 million because the U.S. Postal Service mistakenly licensed a photo of his statue instead of the real Lady Liberty.