Image copyright feels theoretical until a lawyer’s letter prices it. Czech and EU practice generates these letters weekly — and the mistakes are always the same three.
The default surprises people
The photographer owns the photo — including the one you paid to have taken, unless the agreement transfers or licenses it. Commissioning isn’t owning. When you hire photography, the license terms (where, how long, what uses) belong in writing; when we shoot for clients, usage rights are part of delivery, stated plainly.
The three ways invoices arrive
“Found on Google” — search results are a catalog of other people’s property; rights-tracking services scan the web and bill automatically, years later. Expired or exceeded licenses — the stock photo licensed for one campaign, living on your site since. Social reposts — a customer’s photo of your café is theirs; ask (people almost always say yes, in writing) before it becomes your ad.
The clean setup
Own your core imagery (commissioned, license documented), keep a folder of proofs — license receipts, permissions — and when in doubt, shoot it yourself: your restaurant photographed by you beats a stranger’s stock legally and commercially. Unsure what your site uses? An image audit takes an hour and beats any letter.
Frequently Asked Questions
The photographer, by default — usage rights transfer only through the agreement; get the license in writing.
No — search results are other people's property, and rights-tracking services bill automatically, sometimes years later.
Ask first — the photo is theirs; written permission (a DM suffices) turns goodwill into a usable license.
Permission with limits — uses, duration, contexts; exceeding them bills like having no license.
A folder of license receipts and permissions per image — audits and disputes are won by paperwork.
Commission your core imagery with documented rights — it beats stock legally and commercially.
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