Attention to the contract with a photographer

For this reason, I would like to point out once again that operators of online shops similar websites with many graphics and photos pay close attention to the contracts of the photographers concerned.

This applies both to the use of stock photos (see this article or this article but also this note on the Cordoba decision) but also to the use of photos that a photographer has produced on his own behalf. Here, too, it is necessary to observe exactly what rights were granted by the photographer. If the employee was, the exploitation rights must be assessed differently than if the photographer was only a contractor. Of course, it is particularly critical when the photos were taken by someone WITHOUT remuneration, e.g. because it was a friendship achievement. I can only advise against this in principle, that even with a contract there could later be a dispute about the appropriate remuneration, which can quickly become expensive if, for example, the online shop eventually became successful – mainly because of the pictures. See, for example, this decision.

But professional photographers should also pay attention to which rights are transferred, to which platforms the rights apply (social media? Mobile Devices?), to whom exactly these rights are granted (rights transfer? Portability?) and much more.

In the meantime, there is software that can crawl hundreds of websites per hour and compares and if and since when illegal photos have been used. Then the defense options are usually limited to the amount of the costs(see this BGH decision) and not whether there is a claim for damages at all.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.