Copyright

US Copyright laws exist to protect artists and their art. Zach & Courtney take copyright seriously and have retained the copyright for all of Zach’s photography since the beginning of their business.

In this episode of Photography is Nothing, Zach & Courtney talk about famous court cases involving photographers protecting their copyright as a means to teach how these laws benefit photographers and other artists.

Cases discussed include:

• Photographer Carol Highsmith suing Getty images for a billion dollars for selling 18K of her photos.
• Photojournalist Daniel Morel sues AFP & Getty for selling his images of the 2010 Haitian earthquake
• The famous “monkey selfie” case with photographer David Slater. Who owns a photo taken by an animal?
• Architecture photographer Scott Hargis wins perhaps the largest copyright settlement ever.

The conversation moves well beyond the lawsuits and gets into topics like:

• Registered works vs un-registered works
• Public domain
• Fair Use
• Always get a contract, even when no money is exchanging hands
• Getty Images sells photos that are public domain (free to everyone)

**NOTE** Zach & Courtney are not attorneys and nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice. 

Index

0:00 - A monkey took the photo

4:29 - Why we always retain copyright ownership

9:10 - Carol Highsmith sues Getty

15:22 - Royalty Free vs Rights Managed

20:39 - When you create something, you own the copyright

21:51 - Photographer Scott Hargis’s big win

28:02 - Why register copyrights

30:56 - Setting a precedent that we pursue infringement

37:20 - Daniel Morel sues AFP & Getty

41:26 - David Slater and the Monkey Selfie dispute

55:15 - A little bit about model releases

Buy, Sell or Trade with MPB:

https://shorturl.at/Szqs2

Find Zach

Website: https://zachdobson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphoto

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphoto

Find Courtney

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happylifelessons/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessons

About the Podcast

Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. 

Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.

Fair Use Statement

This document contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I have determined this to be "fair use" of the copyrighted material as referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this document for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain express permission from the copyright owner.