Licensing Photos

acparsons · Jun 12, 2015

Hello,

I have had a news agency contact me about licensing photos that I posted on 500px. It seems easier, since I can let then handle payments stuff. Would you recommend that I let them handle the licensing or is there a way to do it myself? Any tips on licensing are very much appreciated.

AC

tirediron · Jun 12, 2015

Not sure I follow; do you meant that the agency wants to license them from you for agency use, or that they want to acquire them for future stock use? I assume the former vice the latter, and no, I would NOT recommend that you let them handle it. Depending on the potential fee involved and the nature of the licensing they want (exclusive/non-exclusive, local/international, print/all media) as well as the time for which they want to use them, your royalty could be quite small or quite large. I think, based on your question that you need to go back to the agency that contacted you and ask for more clarification about what they want.

KmH · Jun 12, 2015

You handle the licensing of YOUR photos.
Entities asking for a license often ask for a lot more usage than they really need. Like often asking for "All Rights" which is an absurd request amounting to a 'rights grab'.

In a business relationship, the party that produces the contract and other legal documents, like a use license, has a big advantage over other parties in the transaction.

Though you are not in the US you could use this to generate a use license:
PLUS License Generator

vintagesnaps · Jun 12, 2015

Go read the Terms & Conditions on the website if you haven't already.

On many of those type websites, terms often aren't favorable to the photographer as the site may keep a significant amount of licensing fees. Terms may allow for the website to pay you a one time payment, while the site can continue to keep licensing your images and continue to make money from them for years to come while you'd get nothing more.

I don't know how much of the info. here will be relevant if you're not in the US. American Society of Media Photographers

A news outlet should be able to send you a licensing contract with specific and limited terms of usage. Usually for editorial use a photo credit with your name would be used to accompany the photo just as a byline is used for an article (for retail or commercial use typically a photographer's name would not be used).