Alamy images

[Skipman]

Do Alamy have any right to charge for these images?

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-a-british-trench-near-the-albert-bapaume-road-at-ovillers-la-boisselle-34070424.html?imageid=06152E8C-9E78-4D12-AEBC-3D0FFFD7B3FA&p=56342&pn=1&searchId=f7a83e531af892ea01da1347c7e81610&searchtype=0

Mike

[keithmroberts]

A question for a lawyer.

We had several threads on image copyright years ago. Key questions apart from the identity of the original photographer, included the first date of publication if they were published previously, and whether the company had actually made changes to an image. Their mostly corporate customers are more than content to pay them a fee rather than do their own research, and to challenge their ownership would take time and money.

I seem to remember that there are also possible issues between ownership and licence.

 

[Skipman]

Thanks Keith. The photograph was taken by John Warwick Brooke died 1929 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cheshire_Regiment_trench_Somme_1916.jpg

Mike

[Spaceman]

It's clear in this case that IWM have the copyright on this image from their collection but you are free to download a lower resolution copy and use it for non-commercial purposes. I assume Alamy have purchased a commercial licence from the IWM and are charging people for a higher resolution image of the photo. That said, the lower resolution image is good enough for any purpose I might have with it.

[keithmroberts]

I'm not even convinced that IWM have the copyright, but they do I suspect have a right to licence the use of versions of their copy. Legal minefields can be crazy.

[Skipman]

Interesting. Is it ok to post this? Will take down if not https://pixabay.com/blog/posts/why-you-dont-want-to-buy-images-from-alamy-152/

Mike