Trademarks - what kind of images you shouldn't upload

As most of you already know, there are certain subjects that shouldn't appear in your images if you plan to sell them as Royalty Free Stock.

We'll leave this thread open and I suggest adding your input to the list below. New and old users are asked to check this list carefuly and to come back here regularly, in order to avoid having the files refused.



IMPERATIVE:



1. never upload a theme/subject that you are certain of violating a trademark; this applies internationally not only for US, UK or CA; if you have a protected element in your own country do not upload an image of it, because even if it gets approved first, it will be disabled afterwards. Also you own all rights of the picture and you are the only person responsible. Don't risk yourself, the company that holds the trademark might come after you.



2. be sure you hold ALL copyrights of everything appearing in your image



3. do not upload images with recognizable faces of human persons without attaching a model release. It doesn't matter if you took a shot on a crowdy street you still have to own a model release agreed and signed by each of your subjects.



4.do not upload cars with brands (check doors, trunk, engine, wheels, steering, seats, gearbox, cd/casette player, everything)



5. do not upload shots taken on the stree with commercials visible they will all be disabled



TRADEMARKS (things that are not obvious but you should know):



1. Certain buildings are trademark protected. Some of them are famous, some aren't. An architect may choose to protect his/her building. Most of the modern buildings aren't protected, but it might be useful to check first. Basicaly each building after December 1990 or blue prints on this date is eligible for protection.



Famous buildings you shouldn't see on Dreamstime:

- Flatiron building in NY, Tour Eiffel at night (lights on), Sidney Opera in Australia.



2. logos:Windows, CD, DVD, Dolby, Sony, Canon, etc, everything

3. names and signatures, license plates

4. other: Mickey and Minnie, McDonalds and the Golden Arches, the Cypress Tree on Pebbles Beach, Lego, Peeps

5. modern art (same for buildings) it doesn't matter if it's on a public space, is the work of an artist



Please add here any other examples of things you know to be protected. It would save valuable time to all of us. Try to verify your source and accompany the statement by a link to a document that provides more details.



Should you find any images online that violate a trademark protection please use the contact form to notify us.

If you want to learn more about trademarks please visit this site or do a search on Google

Thank you! that is great information to know!

bump.

Indeed these informations are very important and good.But should be great to have a more detailed list with forbidden buildings.....Everywhere there are thousands of modern buildings...so how we can choose which is protected and which not?If there are indeed real rules should be great to be more clear.Sorry for my insistence.

I cannot help you with this. I couldn't find such list available online or offline. Basically each building built after 1990 might be protected. Buildings that are built by famous architects, will definitely be protected.



What you can do is to search the web or if nothing is to be found send an email to the architect of the building. If he says that the building is not protected, ask for a signed fax and attach it to your submission.



Most important buildings are not usual homes but headquarters of a corporation, maybe a museum or something related. You can also write to the owners of that building and tell them about your question.



Ericsphotos just did a similar research. I have been notified that one of his files on the pending line has such Copyright release file. I will approve his file in front of the others as a reward for his kind efforts. Hope noone will mind for doing it.

Thanks a lot Achilles. It was a real chalange to get this release and I was extremely excited when I got the fax from them. The sign is an American icon and I hope it is gonna be useful.

Thanks for the reward!

Thanks a lot for explication Serban.I thought also to write to the architect and ask directly about this topic.I think that is a good idea.Thanks again very much.

Great example....maybe I will try to do same....

It was great to hear about that, indeed the sign is very suggestive and it is a good example of stock.

This is really encouraging. Nice work Ericsphotos!!!

I might add to the list the Hearst Castle in California, Falling Water in Pennsylvania. The houses and office buildings built by Frank LLoyd Wright may all be off limits.

I'm planing a trip to DisneyLand and DisneySea. Do you know if I can take pictures inside ? I'm not interested in characters or people, but more in arhitecture... Is it copyright protected ?

Concerning Disneyland Resort, I'm quite sure that you can take photos but you cannot sell them. I'm a tour operatore and I've already had to do with them, and they are very very stiff and this regard. No image taken inside the Disney parks all over the world can be used for printing if not permitted by them, that means never because they permit only using their images, from their own images database (poor quality images generally).

So, if you take images there you will be alble to show them to your children only... ;-)

Thanks a lot !! I didn't feel like carrying my whole camera gadgets, and I had a fishy feeling about that, so that's why I've asked...



PS. Am I the only one who sees same posts in this topic twice ? For example the first one from Achilles - I see it twice, and the rest until my own post... It's my problem or it's bug in the script ?

It was an error when the old forums were imported, thanks for notifying us, we'll take care of it.

I would like to know why an image " sheet of a newspaper with stockexchanges " has the copyright.

If you have your heart really really set on shooting a famous building, you can call up the Director of Operations to that specific building and find out if it is protected.



If it is, you can ask permission to shoot the building or structure and fax them a Property Release, it is the same thing as a model release, but for protected properties.



To sweeten the deal for them, you can offer to give them a copy of the images that you take in exchange for the rights to photograph and a proper release. You would be suprised at just how many places will jump at the chance to get freebies like this to add to their corporate collection for promoting the building, plus 9 of 10 times you'll be getting credited for the photowork.



It takes a little more set up and footwork on your part to obtain all of this, but in the end you'll have all your ducks in a row and some great stock.

Originally posted by Gaffera:
I would like to know why an image " sheet of a newspaper with stockexchanges " has the copyright.

I think that if you had company names there those names are trademark protected....Think about someone using a paper that says Microsoft down 3 points, and a big headline saying "Microsoft is falling"....that would be a point related to the pic...should that pic be Royalty Free or Rights Managed?

That's a very good advice, Kelly, well said.

Hi Kelly,



a new law has just come out in Germany. it says you can't photograf a private house or a garden or other private places without permit of the owner. If you haven't that permit you can get immediately denunciated.