Quote:
Originally Posted by rubasu
Hey guys,
I have downloaded many of these over the years for my own records without an issue straight off the web. They have no copyright watermarks, details or dates on them etc other than simply a picture of the house/interior/landscaping. Are there any issues with me now putting these onto our own website?
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Like others have said, copyright is automatic, regardless of the use of watermarks or other identifying features. Image theft is a massive issue for the pro's at the moment and the penalties are actually quite high for publishing someone else's work without their consent. Quite simply...don't! If you want to use someone's work, expect to pay a royalty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubasu
As I see it there is no problem with me publishing shots of houses I have built but the issue I'm not aware of is the use of other peoples pictures.
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This one is a little more complex; whilst you/your company built the property, it is not yours. Many commercial properties have legal agreements that state that any photographs taken
on their premises are owned exclusively by the owner. As such, you would be unable to post any of your own photographs on your website without prior consent from the them. You are probably familiar with Perth Motorplex's rules on photographic ownership; this is a similar case.
Try to get written consent from any owners you can (most will normally be more than happy) and this should safeguard you from any potential legal issues in the future. Failing that you can include a clause in your own contracts that tell the owner that any work done on their property could be photographed, and the photographic rights to these images belong to you/your company. If they sign it, you're sorted! You may find that your company already has a similar clause in it's contracts.
Hope this helps!