Picture: Roger Coulam
There has been a change in the weather. Or, to be more exact, a change in the rules of a weather photography competition – in favour of photographers – following pressure from Amateur Photographer.
Earlier this month, organisers of the Weather Photographer of the Year contest launched a search for images that ‘capture our love of the weather, demonstrate originality and creativity, and chart the ever-changing British climate’.
However, Amateur Photographer magazine challenged organisers, Lloyds TSB Insurance, after noticing that the contest’s stated terms of entry gave them the right to use entries for marketing and publicity purposes.
Although photographers retain their copyright, they were required to agree to grant organisers ‘worldwide, royalty-free perpetual licence to edit, crop, re-size, publish and use each entry in any and all media (including print and online)? ‘.
The rules implied that organisers would be able to use photographers? pictures for purposes that were not linked to the competition.
In a victory for photographers? rights, two weeks later Lloyds TSB Insurance changed its rules to state that entries will only be used to publicise and market this and future ?similar competitions?.
Lloyds TSB Insurance told us: ?We have responded to recent feedback from Amateur Photographer magazine by changing the terms and conditions of our weather photography competition. We hope that these changes will put people?s minds at ease about where the entries might be used. We look forward to helping highlight the extraordinary talent of Britain?s amateur photographers.?
