copyright stuff

[ImaRetiredTeacher]

Good Afternoon,

I'm just trying to get more steady footing on what to leave alone. Are all beach piers off limits? What about a shot of a street in a major city, not the New York skyline or anything like that, that captures an entire portion of the block, that includes 6-10 buildings? Must I contact every architect, LOL.

Thanks in advance to all you knowledgable folks!

Annette

[Nancy OShea]

All depends.  Branded shops, bars & restaurants are protected by IP.  The Empire State Building is protected.  But unmarked buildings, brownstones and cityscapes are OK to photograph.

Model/Property Releases:
https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/model-release.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/property-release.html

[ImaRetiredTeacher]

I have read the handbook multiple times, butI still have questions  😃 These building are shot from far away as a group, with no signs or building fronts visible. The only way a building could be recognized is by color or window composition.

[Abambo]

Did you submit and get a refusal for IP?

[Nancy OShea · Accepted solution]

I'm not aware that beach piers are off limits to photographers.  At least they're not where I live in California.

That said, any businesses or amusement attractions that operate on the pier are of course protected by IP.  You will need signed property releases to use those images commercially.   It's not that difficult. Just use common sense when selecting images for Stock.   When in doubt, get a signed release.  Or don't submit to Stock.

[ImaRetiredTeacher]

Thank you. I have some beautiful shots that just need one sign erased. They're taken from a beach in California, far below the boardwalk so I don't even know what might be up there. The actual pier was closed, but it is extremely unusual and would be recognized by tons of people. I tried calling the city, but never heard back. From what I read in the handbook, if it's off limits, Stock would most likely tell me, is that right?

[Jill_C]

I would go ahead and submit the image. If it gets rejected, move on. If it gets accepted, even better! 

[George_F]

For the sort of assets you are describing, I usually submit those as Editorial Use Only assets instead of Commerical Use assets. 

For the most part, you are able to skip needing property releases with Editorial Use Only assets, but the licenses are restricted to Editorial uses such as magazine articles, newspaper articles, blog posts, etc.  They aren't able to be altered like Commercial assets can.

Cheers!

[ImaRetiredTeacher]

Thanks for the info! I'm very new to Stock. The buildings are shot from their sides, looking down the street. I was on the roof of a building so no signage is viewable. It was a cloudy day and the sky/colors were so beautiful that I had to shoot!

[ImaRetiredTeacher]

Forgot to ask you how do you even submit as just editorial?

[Jill_C]

The requirements for Illustrative Editorial are shown here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/illustrative-editorial-content.html

[Abambo]

New contributors can't submit illustrative editorials.

[Jill_C · Accepted solution]

Street scenes and city skylines are problematic because of the many signs and logos. You need to remove all of them, which can be time consuming. It's up to you to decide whether the effort is justified based on the remote chance of sales and small royalties you might earn.

[ImaRetiredTeacher]

None show. Picture was taken from far away on the rooftop of another building. Only distinctive features are the structure of the buildings themselves...

Thanks for responding!

[Abambo · Accepted solution]

None show. Picture was taken from far away on the rooftop of another building. Only distinctive features are the structure of the buildings themselves...

By @ImaRetiredTeacher

Submit. If you get a refusal, publish the refused asset here, and we will have a look into it. Do not forget to include the refusal reason, and limit your post to 2–3 assets. A refusal is a learning occasion. It's not a catastrophe. We all got refusals.

[RALPH_L · Accepted solution]

Buildings in a skyline panorama are not protected as long as they are not the main portion of the photo. As a general rule, they must be < 30%. Street shot cannot show logos, brand names,  car licence plates or identifiable people.

Here an example of mine:

downtown corner in frankfurt am main Stock Photo | Adobe Stock

[Abambo]

Skylines are OK, beach piers also.