The following guidance seeks to help parishes to choose and publish photos in a way that respects copyright and avoids charges for infringement.
We’re aware of an increasing number of copyright–related claims being made and that several church organisations have, in recent times, been required to pay charges ranging from £100 (€115) up to £2,000 (€2,300) after publishing professionally taken photos without permission.
These copyright infringements have included photos from news agencies such as Getty, Reuters, Press Association, AP and AFP, which use regular searches to check where their photos have appeared on the internet.
If you receive a letter seeking to charge money for an apparent breach of copyright, please forward this to your Diocesan Communications Officer for further consideration and advice.
1. Why does copyright matter?
Copyright protects the incomes of people who make content, and copyright law – the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 in the UK and Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 in Ireland – applies to everyone. As a principle, it treats others as we would wish to be treated. We want to ensure that everyone can communicate about their ministry and that creatively is properly rewarded.
2. Which formats put parishes at the most risk?
Photos from image libraries, search engines or news sources should not be copied from the internet for publishing, either in print or online.
3. How do parishes keep right with copyright?
The safest approach to copyright is to use photos taken by members of your parish (with their permission to publish) in your magazines, websites and social media channels. Making the most of your parish’s creativity can give you a stock of relevant local images that can then be used in future, for as long as permission is in place.
Remember – your best photos (and photographers) may be on your doorstep!
4. How should we use professionally–taken photos?
It’s best to follow these three steps:
All correspondence for seeking and granting permission should be kept on file for future reference.
Church organisations and aid charities often seek to publish photos to help to raise funds after emergency situations. If you wish to source a photo for this purpose, the following image library websites which distribute photos from news agencies will be useful:
Please ensure that the terms and conditions for publishing a photo are followed, including the length of time for which the agency will permit the image to be published online.
5. What can happen if an image infringes copyright?
If permission has not been sought, a photographer or a rights agency is entitled to get in touch with the parish to seek a fee for the use of the photo. However, the fee should be set at a reasonable level and there should be scope for negotiation.
Factors such as the size and location of the image on a website, how long it has been online, and how many times it has been viewed are among those used to calculate copyright–related fees. It’s important not to rush a response to a letter making a copyright claim – let your Diocesan Communications Officer know that this has been received.
6. Should parish magazines be published online?
Parishes should review their website content management systems and ensure that all electronic copies of magazines are stored offline. There is limited value in publishing a parish magazine online as most readers will pick up (or be sent) a hard copy.
Publishing back copies of magazines on parish websites will increase the risk to a parish from a potential breach of copyright. Some copyright claims have focused on material which dates back more than 10 years.
7. How can websites be managed to keep in line with copyright?
All parish websites and social media feeds should be reviewed and updated regularly – at least weekly – by a nominated social media administrator. The Central Communications Board has produced a template for a social media policy which may assist parishes in this regard.
Websites and social media channels which are not recently updated create considerable risks. Where you become aware of this, please take every possible step to contact those who have previously managed the content, and ensure that photos are taken offline as a priority.
Shared by the Central Communications Board