Who owns event photographs? Rights and licences, simply explained
Who authors commissioned photographs, what the licence covers, how to credit the photographer and when a separate agreement is needed: seven answers.
When a theatre, a museum or a festival commissions photographs, the same questions come up every time. We have gathered them here, with short answers. In Italy the matter is governed by the copyright law, no. 633 of 1941, which distinguishes photographic works, images with a creative contribution, from simple photographs, which have more limited protection. The rules differ slightly between the two: that is why it is always worth putting everything in writing.
This article explains how we work and is not legal advice.
1. If I pay for the shoot, do I own the photographs?
Not exactly. You pay for the work and for the right to use the images within agreed limits: the usage licence. The author remains the person who took them, and the right to be recognised as author cannot be transferred. Our quote describes the licence precisely, so nobody has to interpret it later.
2. What can I do with the photographs?
This is how our standard licence works.
| Use | Included | To be agreed |
|---|---|---|
| The institution’s website, social media, newsletters | ✓ | |
| Press releases and press coverage | ✓ | |
| Catalogue, programme, institutional materials | ✓ | |
| Archive of the institution and the artists involved | ✓ | |
| Paid advertising campaigns, billboards | ✓ | |
| Transfer to third parties, such as a sponsor | ✓ | |
| Products using the images, such as postcards or merchandise | ✓ |
3. How should the photographer be credited?
With Photo: Mattia Gaido / Wonderproof Studio, next to the image or in the publication’s credits. The credit is part of the licence: not a courtesy, a condition.
4. Can the exhibiting artists use the photographs?
Yes, for their own communication and archive, with the same credit. For us a well-documented exhibition should also serve the people who made the works.
5. What if a newspaper wants the photographs?
Media can publish them to report on the event, with the credit. That is exactly what the press selection is for.
6. Are rights ever shared?
Yes. The images of the Archivio Casa Museo Carol Rama, for example, belong to the archive, and we say so on the project page. In some Teatro Regio productions the credit also includes the theatre or a second photographer. Every case is written into the agreement.
7. How does someone who finds a photograph online know whose it is?
Every file we deliver carries the author, the rights and an address where the terms of use can be found. So even when a picture travels far from the website, whoever receives it knows whom to ask.
The full terms are on the Image rights page. If you have a particular case, write to us: we will clarify it before we start.