© Linda Long
Articles
Updated PPA Templates: Licensing Agreements for Photographers
Many times photographers and creators do not want to sign over their copyright of a creation. This sentiment is justified since once the copyright is signed over the original creator has no ownership of it and can no longer control how the creation gets used. However, there is an alternative.
An alternative to signing over the copyright is to license the creation for the specific use. This allows the original creator to retain copyrights but provides the user with permission to use the images on agreed-upon terms.
When it comes to licensing agreements, there are two main types:
- Limited Licensing agreement- This agreement allows the creator to set parameters on how, when, where, and how long the creation can be used. These parameters can also include things such as tagging the creator on a social media platform, making sure the watermark is visible, etc. Since the original creator has a lot more control, this tends to be the most used of the two types of licensing agreements.
- Unlimited Licensing Agreements- This version of a licensing agreement allows the creator to retain the copyright but almost nothing else. Meaning, this gives the user almost full ability to do whatever they want with the creation. For this reason, this type of licensing agreement is not used as often unless it is specifically asked for or the creator thinks that there may not be another use for the creation.
Now that you know you don’t have to sign away your copyright, go here to check out these new agreements on PPA.com!