We name our software versions and releases after Swiss mountains. This way, we can also use a fascinating picture of a mountain for a release. For some mountains, we benefit from the wanderlust of our colleagues, who return with great mountain pictures from their hiking and climbing tours. We get the images for free. But what happens when the colleague leaves the company? Do all the pictures have to be changed? How can I find all images with a specific license? Is there a possibility to just filter for the licensor?

Former AFP photographer Francisco Leong is in such a situation. He sued the AFP agency in the hope of getting back the image rights to his work. During his employment, all rights to his works went to AFP by contract. Who owns the images? Where are his images?

Photographer Peter Cepeda sued model Gigi Hadid for posting one of his pictures of herself on Instagram. She certainly didn't expect that. The parties have come to an out-of-court resolution in the meantime. Emily Ratajkowski describes a similar case in "Buying myself back". Robert O'Neil sued her for using a picture of herself that belongs to him. Who is allowed to use which images and when?

There are countless cases online, and in this day and age, it is so easy to violate copyright. I see an image, right-click, share on all my social channels - a case of copyright infringement.

How do I avoid copyright infringement lawsuits?

The solution is license management, i.e. categorically storing licenses and usage rights for the respective image.

This way, as a user, I can quickly and easily see whether and how I am allowed to use an image. Data Model Editors can extend the license information any time (now or in 5 years, thanks to the agile data model) to include responsible persons, testimonials, or deputies.

The license gets a unique name (1), and the agreement, contract, NDA, or chat history is attached. The visitor simply tags with license tags like she uses keywords - turning tedious license management into simple license tagging. The clever license tag informs about usage rights and existing or missing agreements.

Picturepark license tagging can do more than just manage licenses. The user can see at a glance what other content the licensor owns. You can use the license tag like a filter for this purpose. All content items of the licensor are displayed and can be easily checked or replaced in case of changes. Licensing testimonials or text fragments (1) using Virtual Items works just as well as license management for logos (2) and other files.

The list of licenses in Picturepark contains all necessary attributes, can be extended at any time, and each input follows the structured scheme of the list. Mandatory fields ensure the availability of essential information such as author, source, and date. The use as tag guarantees the correct spelling, translation, and in the long run, fewer errors. Any checks can be carried out via automation using structured data, and licensors and licensees can be informed automatically in the event of changes.

Copyright is not a matter of luck, but requires preparation and a good workflow in place; ideally in Picturepark.

Read in Copyright - not a matter of luck how to simplify the usage of copyright notices for users in Picturepark.