Key Principles of Fair Usage:
- Transparency: Competition organizers should clearly state how submitted images will be used.
- Respect for copyright: Organizers should acknowledge and respect the photographer’s ownership of their work.
- Limited use: Usage rights should be limited to purposes directly related to the competition.
- Compensation: Photographers should be compensated for commercial use of their images beyond promotional purposes.
- Attribution: Photographers should be credited whenever their images are used.
In essence, fair usage in a photo competition balances the organizer’s need to promote the competition with the photographer’s right to control their work and receive appropriate compensation.
Generally Unacceptable (Unfair Usage):
- Commercial use without compensation:
- Selling submitted images for profit without compensating the photographer.
- Using images in commercial advertising or marketing campaigns without permission.
- Granting exclusive rights indefinitely:
- Requiring photographers to transfer all copyright and financial rights permanently.
- Preventing photographers from using their own images for other purposes.
- Modifying or altering images without permission:
- Making significant changes to images without the photographer’s consent.
- Using images in a way that misrepresents the photographer’s work.
- Using images in a defamatory or harmful way:
- Using images in a context that damages the photographer’s reputation or the subject of the photo.
- Sub licensing images for profit:
- Giving other people the right to sell the images, without compensating the photographer.
