MicrostockGroup
Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: morfon on December 17, 2019, 06:58
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First off, sorry if this has been discussed before. I did my search and didn't find any relevant topics.
Couple weeks ago i shot a major European cathedral from the inside. I uploaded the images to multiple agencies as editorial and had a few sales too. However i just got a notice from one of the agencies that the property filed a complaint, as taking photos on their premises for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. I took down the images immediately, at least from that port. Question: 1. Do i really need their consent if i upload the image as editorial? 2. Should i start worrying and take down those images everywhere else? There are hundreds if not thousands of photos available at all major agencies showing the same church interior, none of which is accompanied by a property release.
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I just had one of mine (from Vienna) taken down on Alamy. The thing to remember is that any private place - a church, a palace, a castle, that you might tour, especially if you buy a ticket, can have its own rules about photography. Some ban photography altogether and have signs to that effect, others might have a sign somewhere that says no commercial photography. Their place, their rules! There is no "free speech" right to take a photo there and sell it, even under an editorial license. So they are well within their rights to request that it is taken down.
The question on whether you take the image down from other agencies is a matter of risk - you probably should, but you could balance that against the chance of discovery. The legal answer is - take the images down.
Steve
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I think if someone specifically asks you to take an image down its prudent to do that on all sites. If they have found it on one site they might be looking elsewhere.
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Guys, thanks for your input. I think I'll just take it all down.
Steve, same here. Alamy/Stephansdom. As it seems, the holy folks are pretty determined to enforce their no-photo policy. They scan agencies regurarly for stolen indoor shots and if they find one, they immediately issue a takedown notice. Too bad, those images do pretty well actually.
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You would think they would want to promote their church if pictures were done in respectful way. Maybe not....Then again the Catholics have had a lot of bad press on the kiddo thing with priest. Then maybe that bad press was good press for our kids safety.....
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I visited a particularly nice cathedral and actually purchased a photo permit. The bloke selling them clearly didn't sell a lot as he had to search for it. Took lots of nice pics then when I got home looked at the small print on the photo permit (to be fair, it was surprisingly inexpensive) and it was for personal use only. There was no indication anywhere that there might be a two-tier photo permit system, and the bloke certainly didn't mention it. Ho-hum. ::)
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The Catholic Church is the most succesful business ever ;-). So they protect their property.