DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

“Copyright troll” sues student newspaper after using Creative Commons photo

Jun 2, 2022 by Dunja Djudjic 6 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

There’s a joke saying that the most common lie in the world is “I have read and understood Terms and Conditions.” Well, misunderstanding terms and conditions could cost a student newspaper team thousands of dollars.

A student media group reportedly used a photo from a popular Creative Commons website to illustrate their article. However, the photographer who took the image claims it was copyright infringement and is suing the newspaper for over $5,000.

SPLC writes that the student newspaper was writing about COVID-19. They needed a photo to illustrate the article, like most of us do nowadays. The image in question was that of a generic medical syringe, and the journalists claim that they found it “on a popular, legitimate CC site.” According to SPLC, this website only requires that the image correctly be attributed to the photographer, which is what they did.

However, they didn’t read “the fine print.” A caveat was hidden in the license agreement, requiring that users also link to a specific page on the photographer’s website and include licensing terms in the photo’s file credits. The journalists failed to do it, so the photographer is now demanding over $5,000 for the image use.

SPLC calls these photographers “copyright trolls,” adding that they “use new technology to search the Internet for unauthorized uses.” They note, however, that these “traps” are usually legal, so I believe that there isn’t much the newspaper can do but pay up.

The problem with Creative Commons websites

As a journalist and a blogger myself, I have used thousands of photos from various Creative Commons websites. You can rely on CC0 websites like Unsplash, Pixabay, or Pexels, to name just a few. There are plenty of photos to choose from, and you can attribute the author, but you’re not obliged to.

The problem is, however, that people sometimes upload stolen photos to these free websites. So, you download an image assuming that it’s free to use, and then get contacted by a photographer who had never uploaded the image to a CC0 website. There are even worse cases when people steal photos and make a profit by selling them on stock websites. I’ve seen that happening as well.

There are also Creative Commons websites like Wikimedia Commons or Flickr. Here, you can find photos that aren’t CC0 but you can use them non-commercially under certain conditions. Whichever the license is, you need to read its requirements before uploading the image.

Even though SPLC doesn’t disclose which website the student newspaper used to download the image, it seems to me that it was one of the latter. In this case, I think it’s the journalists’ mistake that they didn’t read the requirements thoroughly before uploading the image. So, in case you ever need to use Creative Commons photos, make sure to carefully read all the terms and conditions, for real!

[via Light Stalking, SPLC]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Newspaper Navigator is a free online base of 1.56 million newspaper photos “Copyright troll” lawyer Richard Liebowitz slapped $103,500 fine for misconduct Free Steal MeIs “Copyright Troll” A Thing Now? Photographer wins copyright lawsuit over embedded tweets, now sues more publications

Filed Under: news Tagged With: copyright, copyright infringement, copyright law, copyright protection, creative commons, lawsuit, photography copyright, Sued

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« Instagram adds AMBER Alerts for missing children to your Feed
The camera that shot the first spacewalk could be yours, starting at $3,000 »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Sony’s ZV-E1 is a cut-down FX3 in a vlogging form factor
  • Watch: How good (or bad) is an $8.50 tripod?
  • How to light and photograph Lego building interiors
  • Lighting Setup: How to light your portraits with £50 LED tubes
  • Review: Insta360 announces its first gimbal – The AI-tracking Insta360 Flow

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy