Copyright Information
Definition of Copyright: It's a protective bound for photos, creations, audio, videos, and such under the Coypright Law.
Photographers: Photographers sometimes copyright their work and/or sell their photos to photo agencies such as
PR Photos,
Retna, or
Wireimage. This is their job, and how they make their income.
Public Posting: Sites are not allowed to redistribute these photos as their own, nor use them in any creations without the consent of the owner. The person who has legal rights for these images have the right to sue you on your own behalf.
Legal Actions: Usually, before taking any legal actions, the owner of the copy written material will email you to take it down, or request for specific credits. You have to remember, this is their living, and you can't go wrong with a simple credit and thanks. On rare occasions, you can be sued per photo or sets. This can lead up to thousands of dollars. Most of the time, if your fan site is purely based on the subject, and is well formatted and dedicated, they will not lead into any type of case.
My View: I have witnessed few sites who have been asked to remove photos. On another site, I have encountered someone who was sued and had to pay a fine of over 7 grand for using 4 + photos. It's difficult to pay to license photos as they are worth a lot of money, but you have to give respect. I try to figure out all the photographers, and list their name on their photos I use. Sometimes, if I find them personally, I request permission. It's the least I can do as someone who doesn't earn hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. I also license photos from 1 press agency called
PRPhotos. I have learned to respect the copyright law, and learned a whole lot from that from a friend of mine who owns
Moore Of Mandy. Jen licenses and buys all of her photos, and some she has permission to use.
SarahMichelle.Org: If you happen to find a photo(s) that belongs to you, and you are the owner of it, please email me. I will immediately take them down. Otherwise, photographers and agencies are credited. Some are promotional stills, screen captures, and dvd covers which are credited to the producers and distributors of the project. I also have licensed images which are not to be posted elsewhere off this site.
Before taking any legal actions against this site, please email me first, and I will remove your material. I highly respect your authority, and will do no further damage to your career.
