Got a question...

[sumgrl19]

Currently I am doing a website for a healing minister. He has some photos that were taken of him with a few celebrities. Does he need to get a release to simply post these photos on his website? Again, they are of both him and the celebrity.

Thanks!

-Jessica

[images-that-move]

Jessica,

The answer is .... it depends.... First question is who took the pictures? That person should be the first place to start... the photographer unless otherwise contracted owns the copyright of any pictures. So permission from the photographer is essential (if the minister paid for the pics and has a contract the indicates ownership of pics or usage that can help) (by the way it does not matter if the photographer is a professional or not)...

That is step one.... the second step a bit more complicated... what is the website being used for? If it is just information, telling of this persons activities and does not solicit funds in anyway then it very well can be ok given the photographer issue. If the website is setup for an appearance of endoresment (for example... xyz celebrity relies on or supports minister) then that can cause a different issue.

Bottom line the issue gets complicated because celebrities' images are often protected commercially... best advice is to ask permission (obtain model releases).... (and get the answer in writing).... once you have written permission then all can sleep well at night.... a general rule of thumb in this area of inquiry is .... if you don't ask then the answer is assumed to be "no" (no you can't use the image)...

I'm not an attorney and am not offering legal advice... I would suggest asking or seeking legal counsel before using the images....

Hope that helps some...