No. 01Licensing Basics
Picture licensing basics for UK buyers
A clear starting point for UK picture buyers on copyright, licence types and fees, plus how rights-managed and royalty-free deals limit reuse today.
The London picture desk · Reference for UK buyers
Picture licensing explained for people who buy images
The Rights Desk explains picture licensing for UK buyers, from rights-managed and royalty-free deals to releases, orphan works and AI image provenance. This desk keeps restored picture-library pages beside current guidance on rights, releases and provenance.
- 12Reference guides
- 3Library shelves
- 4Restored pages
Shelf 01 · Where every purchase starts
Licensing Basics
3 guidesLicence models, plain terms and the checks that decide whether a picture can be reused.
No. 02Licensing Basics
Common picture licensing terms in plain English
A plain English guide to common picture licensing terms, from territory and duration to exclusivity, renewals and what a buyer's fee actually covers.
No. 03Licensing Basics
Orphan works and the diligent search
How UK buyers should approach orphan works, from diligent search and risk checks to licences, fees and when a picture must always be left unused today.
Shelf 02 · People, places and permission
Releases and Reuse
3 guidesReleases for recognisable faces and private locations, and the line between editorial and commercial use.
No. 04Releases and Reuse
Releases and permitted reuse
When a photo needs a model or property release, how editorial use differs from commercial campaigns and what UK buyers must file away as proof today.
No. 05Releases and Reuse
Editorial use against commercial use
Editorial against commercial use explained for UK buyers, with advertising limits, merchandising risks and when to seek wider rights before publish.
No. 06Releases and Reuse
Property releases for places and brands
Property releases for UK image buyers, from homes and landmarks to brands, artworks and when a location's permission is truly needed before use today.
Shelf 03 · Finding pictures you can trust
Finding and Provenance
6 guidesSearching collections with care, writing a complete brief, and verifying provenance before publication.
No. 07Finding and Provenance
Finding images and trusting provenance
Where to find trustworthy images, what a research brief must state and how provenance signals help UK buyers avoid costly fakes and serious disputes.
No. 08Finding and Provenance
Searching a picture library with care
How to search a picture library well, read a licence before buying and compare a buyer's options across collections without rushing choice today.
No. 09Finding and Provenance
Member data then and now
What an old picture directory did with member data, what UK data rules demand now and how long a buyer's details should be retained securely today.
No. 10Finding and Provenance
AI images and copyright questions
AI-generated images and UK copyright explained, from training data and ownership gaps to labelling and a buyer's disclosure duties in full today.
No. 11Finding and Provenance
Checking provenance with C2PA and IPTC
Provenance tools for buyers, from C2PA credentials to IPTC metadata, showing how an image's history can be checked before publication safely today.
No. 12Finding and Provenance
Building a complete research brief
What a picture research brief should contain, from subject and usage to deadlines, budgets and how a buyer's approval process works in practice today.
Curated by the desk · Restored pages first
Restored from the picture library
8 guidesPages rebuilt from the former picture directory sit beside current guidance, so historic addresses keep answering with present-day context.
No. 13Licensing Basics
Common picture licensing terms in plain English
A plain English guide to common picture licensing terms, from territory and duration to exclusivity, renewals and what a buyer's fee actually covers.
No. 14Licensing Basics
Orphan works and the diligent search
How UK buyers should approach orphan works, from diligent search and risk checks to licences, fees and when a picture must always be left unused today.
No. 15Releases and Reuse
Editorial use against commercial use
Editorial against commercial use explained for UK buyers, with advertising limits, merchandising risks and when to seek wider rights before publish.
No. 16Releases and Reuse
Property releases for places and brands
Property releases for UK image buyers, from homes and landmarks to brands, artworks and when a location's permission is truly needed before use today.
No. 17Finding and Provenance
Searching a picture library with care
How to search a picture library well, read a licence before buying and compare a buyer's options across collections without rushing choice today.
No. 18Finding and Provenance
Member data then and now
What an old picture directory did with member data, what UK data rules demand now and how long a buyer's details should be retained securely today.
No. 19Finding and Provenance
AI images and copyright questions
AI-generated images and UK copyright explained, from training data and ownership gaps to labelling and a buyer's disclosure duties in full today.
No. 20Finding and Provenance
Checking provenance with C2PA and IPTC
Provenance tools for buyers, from C2PA credentials to IPTC metadata, showing how an image's history can be checked before publication safely today.
From the contact sheets · The desk at work
How buyers check a picture
Three moments from the checking table: shortlisting, discussion and the side-by-side file review before publication.
A to Z · Every guide
Browse the guides
9 reference guidesEach letter with a guide leads to the shelf where that guide is filed.
How this desk works
Each guide names its public sources, states its limits, and points to neighbouring guides on the same shelf.
- Read the licence before shortlisting a picture.
- File every release beside the image it covers.
- Record provenance before publication day.
- Re-check the brief when the use changes.