Copyright Law Explained
This a simple explanation about copyright law in a nutshell: “whenever a photographer takes a photograph, he/she owns that image, and can decide what to do with it. It doesn’t matter if someone has hired the photographer to take the image…the client pays for the service, not the copyright. Generally, the client and photographer have agreed on how the client may use that image. But the client is only ‘borrowing’ the image, and doesn’t own it. Even if the image is actually of the client! The person who creates the image owns it, unless he/she gives up that ownership. Portrait clients will often assume that, because they hired the photographer, and the pictures are of them, that they must own the images and can do what they want with them. Not so. They have paid for the services of the photographer, and whatever rights the photographer specifically gives them as part of the transaction.” (aphotoeditor) The Copyright Act protects photographers by giving the author (creator) of the photograph the exclusive right to copy, edit and distribute the image by sale or transfer. These exclusive rights make it illegal to copy, scan, edit, or share photographic prints, and digital media without the photographer’s permission. Violaters of this Federal Law will be subject to civil and criminal penalties, Be sure to discuss your photography needs and copyright-related questions with your photographer.
If you are interested in reading more about copyright law click here
Please Read Corinna Schutz Photography Copyright and Legal Notice
Our products are licensed for personal use only. This means they are only to be used only how they have been agreed upon between you and the photographer. Corinna Schutz Photgprhy and Schutz Productions LLC’s products are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, display, and use of the products either in whole or in part is prohibited unless you first receive written permission or license from Corinna Schutz Photography or Schutz Productions LLC.
Corinna Schutz and Schutz Productions will prosecute offenders of our copyright and other intellectual property to the fullest extent of the law. Penalties for violating copyrights may include the actual damages caused by and the profits earned by the infringer as a direct result of the infringement, statutory damages of up to 150,00 per work (17USC 504(b) and (c), legal fees and costs from the infringer.
Files may not be shared distributed, published or sold in part or in whole unless otherwise agreed upon. You may backup your files for your own personal use and retrieval purposes.
That being said, this information is here to protect me from large companies from sharing and distributing my work on social media and other publication outlets without my permission.
If you want to use my images for anything else aside from personal use…please just ask! Click here to get permission!
