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Copyright in Photography

The question of sharing our real estate photos comes up often and the importance of copyright is something I feel strongly about. I wanted to help you understand how the copyright laws work for photography so that you’re aware of how it may affect you.

The Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators (CAPIC) summarizes it in simple terms:
 
“In Canada, copyrights are protected by the Copyright Act, c. C-42. Since November 7, 2012, the Canadian Act grants ownership of the copyright to professional freelance photographers for work created in the course of their employment.” 
 
Photography copyright protection begins with the proverbial ‘click’ of the camera and remains in effect for 50 years after the death of the photographer.  This means Reeledge Productions owns all rights to the images we produce. 
As per Canada’s Copyright Act, CAPIC goes on to state that “Canadian photographers are, by default, the first owners of the copyright of the images they produce… This applies to both photographs commissioned and paid by a client, and to photographs taken for non-commercial purposes.”
 
If you’re wondering how this impacts our collaboration, it means any images captured belong solely to Reeledge Productions. When an agent places an order with my company, they are not paying for ownership of those images, but rather for the rights to use those images for their property listing. 
While the licensing agreement allows agents to use the images in a given set of circumstances, it does not permit the agent to share the photos with another party, which includes homeowners, investors, contractors, interior designers, air bnb owners or other agents. 
Think of it like an original piece of art and its prints.  The Agent commissions the original and licences its use for the listing, Reeledge owns the rights to create prints as an additional product to sell as part of our business. 
I hope that clears things up and gets us on the same page about this sometimes confusing topic. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my team. 
As per Canada’s Copyright Act, CAPIC goes on to state that “Canadian photographers are, by default, the first owners of the copyright of the images they produce… This applies to both photographs commissioned and paid by a client, and to photographs taken for non-commercial purposes.”
 
If you’re wondering how this impacts our collaboration, it means any images captured belong solely to Reeledge Productions. When an agent places an order with my company, they are not paying for ownership of those images, but rather for the rights to use those images for their property listing. 
 
While the licensing agreement allows agents to use the images in a given set of circumstances, it does not permit the agent to share the photos with another party, which includes homeowners, investors, contractors, interior designers, air bnb owners or other agents. 
Think of it like an original piece of art and its prints.  The Agent commissions the original and licences its use for the listing, Reeledge owns the rights to create prints as an additional product to sell as part of our business. 
I hope that clears things up and gets us on the same page about this sometimes confusing topic. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my team.