The License Agreement for Photographers

In this article, you’ll find information about the license agreement for photographers. Everyone is a photographer at some point—some more than others. Photos are copyrighted works, which means you decide what can be done with your photos. It’s therefore helpful to include terms and conditions in a license agreement. We’ll discuss this in this article, which we’re publishing on behalf of CultuurCollege and Marlous Roelofs, Esq. At the bottom of the article, you can download a template for a license agreement. If you’re a designer, please continue reading on this page.

In what situations do you use a license agreement?

If someone wants to use your photo—for example, on their own website, in an advertising brochure, for an Instagram campaign, or as a T-shirt print—you can charge a fee for that. To avoid misunderstandings, it’s wise to use a license agreement. In this agreement, you specify, among other things, the amount of the fee and the restrictions on use. The amount of the fee depends largely on the scope of the use. Is the user allowed to use the photo for all purposes for an indefinite period? Then, of course, you’ll charge more for that than if the user is only allowed to print the photo on brochures distributed exclusively in the Netherlands. Clearly discuss what the user intends to use the photo for. Always put a license in writing. This is the only way to ensure that the terms of the agreement are clear.

Explanatory Notes to the License Agreement

First, clearly specify which photographic material is involved. Attach a copy of the material to this agreement. Next, agree on who is authorized to use the photographic material and under what conditions. For example, is use limited to a specific period, a specific number of countries, a specific print run, or a specific number of media outlets? By defining these terms, you can tailor the license to be as broad or as narrow as you wish or as needed. The license agreement available for download on this website presents a number of options. This explanation corresponds to those options:

• How will the photographic material be delivered: digitally, on film, on a memory card, etc.? You specify this in Article 2.
• What fee do you charge for granting a right of use? Is that fee a one-time payment, or is it based on the country, year, medium, or print run? The broader the scope of use is defined in Article 1, the higher the fee you may charge. And vice versa in the case of a narrow scope of use. You specify this in Article 3.
• Would you like your name to be credited with the photos? You can specify this in Article 6.
• Can changes be made to the photographic material? You can specify this in Article 7.
• In Article 8, specify which Terms and Conditions apply: yours or the user’s? If the user’s Terms and Conditions are deemed applicable, be sure to read them carefully in advance.

Download the license agreement template

You can download the template for the license agreement for photographers below. It was drafted and made available by CultuurCollege and Marlous Roelofs, Esq.

• The License Agreement for Photographers
• The License Agreement for Designers

Disclaimer

For this article, we drew on the knowledge and expertise of CultuurCollege and Marlous Roelofs, Esq.

If, based on your expertise, you have any knowledge related to this topic, or if you see ways to improve this text, we would love to hear from you at info@cultuuracademy.nl.