{"id":73517,"date":"2015-06-09T05:51:27","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T13:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graphpaperpress.com\/?p=73517"},"modified":"2015-06-09T05:51:27","modified_gmt":"2015-06-09T13:51:27","slug":"how-photographers-can-protect-themselves-with-a-digital-model-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/graphpaperpress.com\/blog\/how-photographers-can-protect-themselves-with-a-digital-model-release\/","title":{"rendered":"How Photographers Can Protect Themselves with a Digital Model Release"},"content":{"rendered":"
In 2014, a New York state\u00a0judge allowed model Avril Nolan to pursue her $450,000 lawsuit against Getty Images<\/a>. Nolan, a healthy young woman, experienced extreme distress after being\u00a0depicted as HIV-positive in an ad run by the New York State Division of Human Rights. While Getty motioned to have the case dismissed under the First Amendment, Nolan prevailed on the basis that the stock photo giant\u00a0had not attained a model release from her.<\/p>\n For large companies like Getty Images, situations like the one above come with the territory, and they have the resources to handle them. But as an independent photographer, it\u2019s important for you to understand that a single, seemingly harmless mistake with\u00a0legal repercussions can severely damage your career, reputation and personal finances for the rest of your life.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re publishing and\/or selling photos of people, a model release (sometimes referred to as a liability waiver) is your shield in case a subject later tries to sue you for using their image. The model release is a standard legal document that every commercial photographer lives by; it looks something like this<\/a>.<\/p>\n As with any paperwork, model releases become clutter in your office or studio. They\u2019re easy to lose track of, and you can guess how much traction a phantom model release has\u00a0in the case of a lawsuit. Unfortunately, \u201cI had one somewhere\u201d won\u2019t cut it.<\/p>\n Meet the Model Release extension<\/a> for our Sell Media<\/a>\u00a0WordPress plugin. Our all-in-one package for selling your photos online now includes integrated document management. Using Model Release for Sell Media, you can attach waiver documents to photos on your website for safe keeping and future reference. Your customers will also gain peace of mind when they see a check mark confirming that the image is permissible.<\/p>\nThe Plain and Simple Importance of a\u00a0Model Release<\/h2>\n
Paperwork = Clutter<\/h2>\n
Attach a Model Release to Images on Your Website<\/h2>\n