Help with Trms & Cnditions for competition.

[conorcan]

I've started a photography competition and I've received a few emails from photographers concerned about their rights etc. and since I'm not a photographer myself I'm clueless as to what type of areas I should cover. I started the competition as a bit of fun, but now I want to protect the rights of the photographers.

In basic language, this is what I'd like:

To protect the photographers full rights to do what they like with their image AND grant my website the rights to copy and resize an uploaded image to fit in thumbnail galleries. I don't want to use the photo for any other purpose, except on an online gallery related to the competition. I want to give the photographers the right to delete, edit their photos.

However, there is one condition that I'd like to enforce. If a person submits their photo and they win then they must allow my website to display the photo in relation to the competition for at least a month after the closing deadline of the competition. If they want to delete the image from my servers after winning, then they must email me and/or forfeit the competition prize and/or have to pay compensation up to the cost of the competition prize itself if the prize cannot be returned.

-What type of terms and conditions would you expect if you were submitting an image to an online photo competition?

-Also, do I need to right a copyright notice for visitors casually browsing the site?

 

[JerryPH]

I think that asking for legal advice on an international photography forum is unwise at the very least. Call up a lawyer or legal counselor who has expertise in copyright... that is what I suggest you do.

Laws change from town to town, much less from state to state, province to province or country to country.

 

[conorcan]

Thanks Jerry for the reply.

Since I made the first post two people have submitted a photo to my site. I'm less concerned about my rights to use their photo/image as I am about protecting their rights to use their image as they see fit.

A nightmare situation for me would be if some visitor 'copied and pasted' their image and re-used it legally because I had failed to put some sort of disclaimer on the website.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Well, for what it's worth... spell it out in clear English. Say exactly what you just told us. Also, make it clear that if someone isn't sure, they ought to ask you before uploading. If you keep it simple and honest, people will understand and respect that.