I recently uploaded some shots of 450 year old Buddha images from an old temple ruin in the Rakhine State in Myanmar. They were immediately rejected at SS with the claim that I need a property release. Has anybody experienced that before? I mean, the artist must have been dead for at least 400 years and with the the current state of affairs in Myanmar, getting a property release for these is probably as simple as negotiating a peace treaty in the Middle East.

I've had images from Cambodia/Thailand rejected for requiring property releases. When I emailed support it was explained that the release is not because of the piece itself but because of the temple in which it was. In my case I had the name of the temple in the keywords/title and was told that if I removed that reference the image could be approved.

Thank you for the answers. It doesn't make sense, but it explains it. By removing the name of the temple, the value of the images obviously diminishes, since the typical users (like travel agents etc.) wouldn't know where it is. Oh well...

Totally agree. I can easily imagine people searching for certain famous temples specifically. Sucks but it seems to be the way it is.

Of course, you could sell it editorial and have the temple name in it. Maybe have a mix of both so people can search for the name of the temple, find your port and see other non-editorial temple images in it.

I would think at 450 years old a property release is mandatory. It is art, therefore, intellectual property. What's the big deal? Get a release to protect yourself. After all, that is the ONLY reason for obtaining a release. Don't tell me the release applies to other entities. The others are riding on your coat tails. You should get into the frame of mind that the model release protects YOU. The others count only if you make the decision to include them to.

best,

CEC