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Photography vocabulary · Copyright & Licensing

Copyright

Meaning in photography, with examples

/ˈkɑːpiraɪt/nounCore term

In photography, copyright means: The legal right to control how a photo is copied, published and used. In most countries it belongs to the photographer from the moment the photo is taken.

In Turkish: telif hakkı

How it is used

Photographers own, keep or transfer the copyright and give clients a license to use the images. There are exceptions, for example for work made as an employee in some countries. Copyright details can be added to a file's metadata. In Turkey the main law is the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works (FSEK).

Example sentences

  1. As the photographer, I keep the copyright; you get a license to use the images.

  2. A website used my photo without permission, which is a copyright infringement.

Common collocations

  • own the copyright
  • copyright infringement
  • copyright notice
  • transfer the copyright
  • licensePermission from the copyright owner to use a photo in specific ways, for example where, for how long and in which media, usually in return for a fee.
  • watermarkA logo, name or text placed over a photo, often semi-transparent, to show who owns it and to discourage use without permission.
  • royalty-freeLicensed for a single fee and then usable many times, within the license terms, without paying again for each use. It does not mean free of charge.
  • model releaseA signed document in which a person who appears in a photo gives permission for the image to be used, especially for commercial purposes.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Copyright & Licensing

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