Group releases

[sagephotoworld.com]

I'm shooting a bridal shower on Saturday.

 

I'm looking at my contracts and cannot find anything suitable. What I'm looking

for is not an actual contract but something that says "I'm the owner of the

premises and you may shoot the bridal shower taking place on <date> and you may

use any of the images you take in your advertising".

 

Any suggestions?

[ahockley]

This sounds like a standard property release...

 

If you're talking about a release for the photos of the people, you'd need to secure permission from the individuals, not the property owner.

[sagephotoworld.com]

How does that cover wedding photos though?

[john_h.1]

"What I'm looking for is not an actual contract but something that says "I'm the owner of the premises and you may shoot the bridal shower taking place on <date> and you may use any of the images you take in your advertising"."

 

You just wrote, in quotes, what you want written.

 

Moving beyond that, Aaron's reaction is correct. It seems from your title and your followup question that you are looking for a release that covers using images of numerous people in advertising. The issue of one person signing away the publicity appropriation rights of others has been discussed here often. It is totally ineffective as a release. The building owner cannot sign away these people's right to seek a claim for misappropriation of their likeness for advertising no more than I could for you wherever you may be. Please tell us that you don't believe the people being in the building gives its owner the abiltity to waive the people's publicity rights. If that were true, anyone could take your picture in a building and then use the picture in advertisements because the owner wrote down that it was OK. There would be nothing you could do about it. Somehow I don't think you would adopt that position if you saw yourself in an ad under those circumstances.

 

If you mean't something else, you should rephrase your question.

[sagephotoworld.com]

Ok. Well, I just emailed the person with whom I am communicating with a group release. I downloaded an Ithica College release and modified it.

[john_h.1]

Modified it? Hmm.

 

Assuming it is valid as modified, I hope you realize, especially after reading the above, that every single recognizable person in the image(s) that you will use needs to sign it in order for it to be of any use. If you miss one person and that person's likeness is in your advertisement, the will have a viable lawsuit against you if they want to pursue it.

[sagephotoworld.com]

I think that since one of the people I'm dealing with is in the attorney general's office, I shouldn't be led far astray :d

[john_h.1]

Are they telling you that someone (other than a parent of a minor or a legal guardian) can sign off and waive the appropriation rights of someone else?

[mc2imaging]

You worry too much. Nobody will sue you. What kind of damages could you really cause by publishing pictures from a wedding shower?

 

OK, so if the AG is hot and your other post regarding the shower is true...

[sagephotoworld.com]

I started out with a contract but decided to go for just a group release. With no contract, it'll be hard for them to sue if something goes wrong. Plus I'll be there with one body, one lens and one flash. My spares will be safely locked away.

[john_h.1]

You best scenerio is Matthew's. I discussed his point myself a few days ago in another thread about how the likelyhood of actual adverse consequences occuring with a small scale in studio wedding business promotion is less than it is with a bigger heavily broadcasted advertising campaign. The law is the same but the probablility of anyone pursuing a claim over the use of their images is much different for each scenerio. You are intending to cover yourself in any event which is prudent assuming you do it correctly.

 

I don't know why you seem to believe a "group release" will have any validity as to anyone who has not signed it but, at this point, there is nothing more I can help you with on that front. Now you mention that not having a contract will protect you more than having one. I'm not sure how you figure a non-binding arrangement is superior to a binding one. You certainly have interesting theories, I'll give you that.

 

I do, in good faith, want to help. To that end I have some advice... Unless this Attorney General of yours is allowed to and actually does represent you in this or any other legal matter you have (which is very doubtful), I VERY STRONGLY reccomend that you consult with an attorney from your jurisdiction on this stuff and don't get your advice from us or anyone else. If you do not do so beforehand, my next suggestion is to print this entire thread and show it to the AG and ask them if you should use a private attorney working for you for legal advice. (I already know what their answer will be).