MicrostockGroup
Microstock Photography Forum - General => Newbie Discussion => Topic started by: Visual on December 04, 2017, 08:09
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I have a large number of photos fron museums exhibits. Mainly it is ancient archaeological artefact, pottery, statue, figurines from ancient rome, egypt, greece.. It is famous object, world heritage...
So i planing to upload thats photos on shutter and istock.
Are this photo editorial or not?
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my opinion (but who am I to tell?): not editorial, museum owns them but can't copyright ancient objects
museum's opinion: they don't know but if you ask they say you can't sell photos at all, just to be sure; don't ask
shutterstock's opinion: none; may random reject/accept them; slightly more likely to accept as editorial
conclusion: choose editorial; less risky should someone complain
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Are this photo editorial or not?
Yes, editorial in my opinion, although if you use general keywords you may get away with it as commercial. Don't put the name of the museum, for example.
Some images aren't allowed, even as editorial. SS consider them "non-licensible content", for example Michelangelo's David.
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If you took the photos on private property, you need a property release for the location, which I assume you don't have. And for places with entrance fees, they set rules (often) about use of photographs taken on their premises. Especially when the objects are recognizable, you can't expect the location to stay unknown even if SS were to let them through inspection as commercial - which I'd expect they wouldn't.
I think these would have to be editorial and it has nothing to do with the copyright on the objects themselves.
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If you took the photos on private property, you need a property release for the location, which I assume you don't have. And for places with entrance fees, they set rules (often) about use of photographs taken on their premises. Especially when the objects are recognizable, you can't expect the location to stay unknown even if SS were to let them through inspection as commercial - which I'd expect they wouldn't.
I think these would have to be editorial and it has nothing to do with the copyright on the objects themselves.
Yes, I agree - this is nothing about the age or copyright status of the objects. You can take pictures of people in "public places" and submit them without releases as editorial, but you cannot go into a private house or office and do the same thing. In this case, the museum is a private place and it is their rules that apply to whether you can legally license the image at all. If it is something generic, then you can "get away with it", but you are still potentially at risk.
Steve
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My rule of thumb on things is museums is this: If they sell pictures of it in the gift shop, they probably don't want you selling pictures of it as commercial stock.
It's just business sense.