Can I Give Permission to Use a HubPro Photo?

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   Kylyssaposted 7 years ago

   HubPro provides no detailed information about who owns what copyrights to hubs edited by HubPro as I can tell. I've been asked for permission to use a photo from one of hubs by a popular online magazine and I have no idea if I can give them permission or not because the photos were replaced by a HubPro editor.
   
   Has something been added to the FAQ or is this issue of who owns what rights to HubPro edited hubs unresolved?
   
   I sent the team an email, but I assume the magazine editor needs a quick answer as the material is seasonal so thus time-sensitive, so I was hoping maybe someone in the forum knew the answer so HubPages and I could take advantage of a free link in a major magazine before the opportunity evaporates.

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      Will Apseposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Right click the photo, select 'search google for image' (in Chrome) and see if it has a licence for reuse.

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         Kylyssaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you. That's a "no" then, so I'll have to get HubPages to contact the magazine to give permission.
         
         This is part of why I wanted HubPages to clarify who owned what rights to HubPro edited hubs last year and was so bothered when they refused. If they'd clarified and had proper legal terminology in the editing contract or in the HubPages TOS, I would have immediately been able to tell the editor yes or no to the photo link to the hub. I don't mind having to get their permission, but they could save themselves a lot of work by just writing a few sentences in the FAQ explaining how we are allowed to use the images they've provided to promote or allow others to promote our hubs.

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   Marisa Wrightposted 7 years ago

   So, do I take it that there is no "Source" information provided on the photo that HubPro added? 
   
   If there isn't then presumably it was not obtained under a re-use licence, because if it were, it would have to have the licence information in the Source field.

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      Sherry Hewinsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I believe that the photos were taken by a photographer hired by HP. Therefore, HP would be the owner of the photo, unless they released those rights.

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         Will Apseposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         You can usually find stock photos with an image search, so you might be right. On the other hand, it could be a public domain image that has been cropped, flipped or whatever.

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         Kylyssaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, the photos were taken by a photographer hired by HubPages to replace the step-by-step photos of a craft tutorial. HubPages has replied to me that we can give permission to use anything from our HubPro-edited hubs. I find it very weird, but it makes it more convenient.

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      lobobrandonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I believe the pictures in question are the ones that are created by a graphics designer at HP. I got a few of those on my hub pro edited hubs. I'm not sure if they do those anymore. They are not pictures from other sources with a free commercial use license.

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   psycheskinnerposted 7 years ago

   I suppose that means thy were produced under a work for hire contract where copyright belongs to Hubpages and they are giving it to the hubber.  But that strikes me as ... unusual. Copyright needs to be transferred by signed contracts or public licenses, not informal emails.

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      Kylyssaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      It also makes me uncomfortable. I have been uncomfortable about HubPages' looseness with copyright issues since one of my hubs was edited last year. The experience was so different from all other editing experiences I've had that I was uneasy about the whole process.

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   Will Apseposted 7 years ago

   Any chance of seeing any of these images?

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      lobobrandonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Go to my Watering Tomatoes hub. Scroll down though it's obvious which ones are by HP

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      Kylyssaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      All of the photos on my bloody handprint window cling hub were replaced by HubPages. They are pretty good even if they don't quite exactly match the craft instructions. I've meant to re-take them to exactly match the instructions since last fall, but I haven't gotten around to it.

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   Will Apseposted 7 years ago

   Thx for that. I have HP illustrations on one of my hubs but didn't realize they commissioned actual photos.

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