{"id":4291,"date":"2012-09-18T10:30:13","date_gmt":"2012-09-18T10:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4291"},"modified":"2023-11-01T14:47:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T14:47:17","slug":"designers-are-you-safe-from-getty-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/designers-are-you-safe-from-getty-images","title":{"rendered":"Are you safe from Getty Images? (Part one)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you checked your picture sources lately?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you know where every image you\u2019ve used has come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you sure you\u2019re allowed to use the pictures you have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should you have paid someone for them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you subcontract that part of your work, who checks the images?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are we asking you these questions? To get you thinking of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because if you\u2019ve designed a website (yours or someone else’s) using Getty Images\u2019 pictures, and they haven\u2019t been paid for or properly licensed, you could be in trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expensive trouble at that. So are you safe from Getty Images?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unhappy snaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getty Images, and indeed all digital media providers, are very protective of their copyright. And rightly so \u2013 selling and licensing content is how they make money. They take any threat to that very seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our experience, however, Getty is more tenacious than others in pursuing what it’s owed. It actively uses tracking software and a team of researchers to trawl the internet looking for not-been-paid-for pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it finds one, the first thing the site owner (could be a business, could be a private individual) knows about it is a strongly worded letter demanding payment. The amount Getty claims varies and depends on the picture(s) but it’s common for bills to run into many thousands of pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The important thing here is that, as the site’s owner or designer, it\u2019s your responsibility to check these things \u2013 and it\u2019s your neck on the line if you don’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re a designer, your client won\u2019t want to pay for these costs and, really, why should they? If you designed and built their website, they\u2019ll expect you to fix any problems with it \u2013 be they legal or otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worst-case scenario? Your client sues for negligence. You’ll have to pay for the images, compensate your client and<\/em> stump up for a solicitor to defend you\/sort everything out with Getty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, that\u2019s probably the most-likely scenario. And that makes the question ‘are you safe from Getty Images?’ an important one to ask yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What you can do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best thing, obviously, is to stay out of trouble in the first place. But how do you do that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the \u2018underwriting\u2019 questions we ask designers is (slightly paraphrased): \u2018If you use third-party content do you get a licence from the image owners?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important we ask this because if you do, then you\u2019ve done all you need to do. And that means you\u2019re a good risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t then it could only be a matter of time before you\u2019re at the sharp end of a copyright infringement claim. And nobody wants that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tips for keeping safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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