Just as with the permitted uses, restrictions in usage of Royalty Free stock photos (or RF) varies from agency to agency, as each company sets their own terms.
That's why it's so important to read the license agreement carefully, and make sure you understand the allowed and the forbidden uses for the images.
To learn all about Royalty Free images, read here.
Overall, these are the restricted uses that are standard to all agencies:
- Large distributions or print runs – Most agencies limit the distribution or copies to 500.000 units (but this limit can vary as well), and larger volume usage requires of an Extended license.
- Resale or redistribution as is, or use in a design theme, wallpaper, etc., intended for resale – an Extended license can grant rights to use in items for resale, but it's forbidden to resale, redistribute or gift the images just as it is.
- Share with other users or place on a network, intranet, or drive with shared access – Only the person who owns the license (who purchased it) can access the image and work on it. To have more users accessing the licensed image before it's in use, you need multi-seat rights, which are sometimes available as Extended license.
These usage restrictions might be a turn-down when you first learn about them, but they are implemented to protect the rights of the image copyright holder and of the models whose likeness is depicted in the images.
Plus, many of the usage restrictions can be eliminated by acquiring an Extended license that adds the rights to use the images in a way that the Standard RF license doesn't allow.
Something important to remember is that when you buy a license, you're buying the right to use the image, not the ownership of the image itself. The copyright of the photos remain with the artists or photographers who created them.
Always make sure to read the Terms of Use for any royalty free image you wish to purchase, to ensure you are using the images in a legal and accepted way.
To find the best places to buy Royalty Free images cheap, check out this awesome list of the Best Stock Photo Sites in the market!
Am I right to assume that using the photos bought from Royalty Free Image sites in public photography competitions whilst falsely stating that they are the entrants own photos is illegal?
If so then some photographer’s who sell these images are unknowingly having copyrights broken.
I would appreciate confirmation of this if possible please.
Hi there, first of all I’m not a lawyer therefore I can not give you a final answer. As far as I understand the most licenses of Royalty Free Stock Agencies it is not OK to use the photos in such competitions.