Copyright Information
We know that copyright is confusing so we wanted to post our copyright reminder that we give out to every client. After reading it if you have any questions please contact us. I am more than happy to help you better understand copyright.
The “Copyright Law” is a federal law that is designed to protect the income of artists, composers, writers, and photographers. It says that the creator of a work (a photograph, etc.) owns the exclusive rights to make and sell copies of that work. This means that only the photographer who took your portraits can make additional copies for you.
Did you know that the following actions constitute copyright infringement?
- Scanning images for electronic distribution: emailing, printing,or desktop wallpaper.
- Printing or downloading images from a photographer’s website or image gallery
- Copying and printing a photograph using a self-service Kodak™ picture maker,
Why can’t I make my own copies?
Many people think that because they have purchased a photograph they have the right to make additional copies. That’s simply not true. If you like a photograph so much that you need additional copies, then the photographer must have done a great job and deserves to be paid for that job. The copyright laws exist to insure that photographers and other artists get paid for their creativity. If you came to a photography studio, had a portrait taken, only purchased a small print, then had illegal copies made elsewhere, one of two things would happen: The photographer would soon go out of business, or, the price of that small print would have to go way up so that the photographer could make a living. That’s not fair to the other clients of the studio.
What are the penalties for copyright violations?
Copyright infringement is a felony and is punishable by civil and criminal penalties. The law also specifies damages at $150,000 per infringement.
But extra copies cost more.
Yes they do! Stealing is always cheaper than buying the product. Don’t compromise the quality of a professional product by having discount copies made. Doing so damages the reputation of your photographer when you display this less-than-ideal replica as “their” work. Your professional photographer invests in continuing education, state of the art equipment, and has your portraits printed by some of the finest portrait finishers in the country. They deserves to be paid for this investment.
