Business license?

[Kirk Wester]

I'm a photo contributo. Found one of my photos being used on a busines website and the business Facebook page. I've never received more than .99 cents for my photos and all purchases say subscription. I thought the standard license was for individuals not unlimited reuse for a business.

[Brad Lawryk]

The standard is for unlimited use as long as it isn't the primary value of the item if it is on something being sold. That business didn't break any of the terms going by what you have said.

http://wwwimages.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/legal/servicetou/Adobe_Stock_Terms_en_US-20150313_hp...

[Kirk Wester]

How can I verify that someo that has one of my photos has indeed purchased it from Adobe Stock. I only have the word of the user that they purchased it. Adobe only provides me with a transaction ID for a purchas, no way to tell who purchased.

[Brad Lawryk]

You can ask in the Stock Contributor forum. But I would think your only way would be to contact the actual business. Does the image in question show up as a sale in your portal? If so, it is likely legit.

Keep in mind it could also be the designer that has licensed it on behalf of the business as well.

[Kirk Wester]

I have already done what you suggested and contacted the business to ask if the purchased the photo. Their response is that they did purchase it, but they provide no proof of doing so. Adobe has not responded to my request asking if that business has purchased this photo. It's frustratin g to not get help from Adobe as the seller of our photos.

[Brad Lawryk]

There is no way that Adobe would be able to tell you. They would have to know the Adobe ID of the person licensing it. For example I own a business but the images I license are under my own personal account. So there is no way they could tell if my business bought it just by looking at the sales records.

I guess the thing you have to ask yourself is how would they have gotten the image if they didn't license it? And is it worth all the time you have already spent trying to track it down for 99 cents? The point is there is no way Adobe would be able to know if that business purchased it or not. Even staff members could have licensed the image.

If there is a real concern over it the best thing to do would be to ask them for a screenshot of there license history showing the image. And if they fail to do that your next step would be a lawyer. What makes you think they haven't licensed it?

[CarlinPhoto · Accepted solution]

Hi Kirk,

If you are going to sell stock photos, get accustomed to seeing them in use. I have tens of thousands of sales across 5 different sites of photos and videos. I see my photos in use on websites all the time (check out tineye.com to find where your photos are being used). I see my footage on TV all the time. If I tried to verify the buyer and the agency each time I saw my media being used, it would be a full-time job in itself. I know my media is not being made available without watermark, so if I see my media in use, I am confident it has been properly licensed.

The one exception to this is if you find your media available for resale, on merchandise. Different sites have different contracts for using media for resale. I encountered one of my photos being sold as a photography backdrop. In that instance, I did contact the agency, and they did verify that the buyer did not purchase the proper license for resale, and they went after them, and gave them the option of purchasing the Extended License, or cease to sell the product. The product was removed from their site.

Brad has a good point - do you have these photos available somewhere where they are not watermarked?

My advice is that when you see your photos in use, use it as momentum in knowing you are providing commercially viable images, and create more!

[Kirk Wester]

You bring up good points. My photos are available on two contributor sites, both watermarked. I should concentrate on creating more content.