Selling prints of a football stadium

CarlukeDave

CarlukeDave

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Is anyone aware of the regulations regarding copyright if I was to sell images of part of a football stadium?

Would I have to seek permission from the club?

The photos are taken from a public place, whilst not being a shot of the whole stadium, it is clearly identifiable as the stadium.

Any information would be appreciated.

I'd rather find out some information prior to contacting the club.

Cheers

Dave
 
First thing is to check what terms were in force when you were at the stadium. If it was a match/gig then commercial photography was probably prohibited and the club might object.
 
:lol: yeah, I read it as the shots being taken inside the stadium but it seems they're not. In my defence is was very early and I hadn't taken my medication :nuts:
 
However... what if you were to stand on a public highway with a decent telephoto and take a partial image that included the club's logo.
 
I would have thought that trading standards could come at you from a number of angles in relation to passing off.

For instance it would only take one member of the public to complain, saying that they thought the picture was an official club one. Even if you'd said "image not official" it wouldn't matter because someone had been mislead.

You are also, not allowed to use someone else's reputation, product, logo, etc to help promote or sell your own product. Again, I would have thought that they could argue that you would have not been able to sell the print if it was not for the fact that it was a football stadium. And you are therefore using the club's reputation to help sell your print. If it was of well know stadium, or bigger club, you could probably sell it for a higher price. Not because the picture's better, but because of the club's reputation and the prices fans are prepared to pay is greater.
 
68lbs said:
I would have thought that trading standards could come at you from a number of angles in relation to passing off.

For instance it would only take one member of the public to complain, saying that they thought the picture was an official club one. Even if you'd said "image not official" it wouldn't matter because someone had been mislead.

You are also, not allowed to use someone else's reputation, product, logo, etc to help promote or sell your own product. Again, I would have thought that they could argue that you would have not been able to sell the print if it was not for the fact that it was a football stadium. And you are therefore using the club's reputation to help sell your print. If it was of well know stadium, or bigger club, you could probably sell it for a higher price. Not because the picture's better, but because of the club's reputation and the prices fans are prepared to pay is greater.
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But most of the points in your post could be applied to pretty much any shot which includes private property/people. If that were the case I doubt anyone would be able to sell anything without permission.

What about the Eiffel tower, yes it's in a different country but I would assume the basic laws apply here. So as long as the club hasn't copywrited the scene (like the lights on the Eiffel tower) then you are free to do what you want with an image.

So unless the image showed the logo of the club as a central feature I doubt you have anything to worry about.
 
Amp34 said:
But most of the points in your post could be applied to pretty much any shot which includes private property/people. If that were the case I doubt anyone would be able to sell anything without permission.
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But the OP is asking about selling images.. ie more than one.. he could be opening a market stall selling pictures of old trafford or selling his auntie bess a pic of anfield.. we dont know.. I think more info needed to be able to answer :)
 
Amp34 said:
But most of the points in your post could be applied to pretty much any shot which includes private property/people.
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This is just the position as far as I understand it based on dealings i've had with trading standards. Obviously common sense has to be applied, and it doesn't relate to holiday snaps etc. But yes, their powers (trading standard) scare the **** out of me.
 
I would have thought in public you could sell pictures of anything you had taken. I know its a bit of an extreme example but would Network Rail have to be contacted about the sale for a shot of the Forth Rail Bridge?

I suppose the argument is about the presence of the logo though? Even so I would have still thought you could have sold images but I have to admit to knowing very little about copyright law :lol:
 
KIPAX said:
But the OP is asking about selling images.. ie more than one.. he could be opening a market stall selling pictures of old trafford or selling his auntie bess a pic of anfield.. we dont know.. I think more info needed to be able to answer :)
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True, I made the assumption it would be the occasional pic, not standing outside the stadium itself with a stall.
 
Property release in terms of copyright ownership and licence is a nightmare of an area and it's very easy for the creator of an image to fall foul of the regs.

It could well take a judge to decide whether the commercial value of the image is entirely or partly due to the inclusion of property or not. For what it's worth, Alamy would not let you upload an image for commercial sale with a building as recognisable as stadium, without a property release that is.
 
Sorry, I should have included the image to make it clearer.

This is an image very similar to the one I would be looking at selling. I would be looking to sell them through my website, no plans for a stall outside the ground or anything like that.




Cheers

Dave
 
I expect the copyright owner of the statue would have an issue unless you're willing to pay a fee for usage. The shield could also be a trademark and that could open another can of worms.

Moral issues aside, if you sold a few every now and then I don't expect it would draw much attention. If you were selling hundreds or supplying to trade I would make sure you had the necessary permissions.
 
ldwallis said:
can i just point something out on the image....hmm maybe its just my warped mind, but to me it looks like the statues gingangs are hanging out his shorts. id edit the image.
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It's not the image he's selling. It's just an example ;)
 
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