Photo credit: Alex Wild from www.alexanderwild.com
Make sure you have permission to use that photo!
Alexander Wild is an entomologist and insect photographer from Austin, Texas. He takes incredible close-up images of unique ants and bugs, like spittlebugs, acrobat ants, sand crickets, and Dinoponera ants, from all over the world! He sells these images to companies that include National Geographic, Nature journal, and local pest companies.
Wild makes sure all of his photos are copyrighted, because he wants to protect them from misuse. One photo costs him an average of $50, which includes travel and equipment. Wild even hires a company to search for others using his photos without permission. The offenders are then asked to pay for licensing fees to use the photos. They usually pay for the fee or take the photo down.
Wild had found one of his photos of 2 mm-sized rover ants being used by Cypress Creek Pest Control of Houston. He sued the company for alleged copyright infringement and sought damages of up to $150,000. The president of Cypress Creek Pest Control said he had hired a web designer to create their website and was unaware that the company had used an unauthorized photo. The two parties settled the lawsuit for a confidential sum.
This is why it’s important to always protect your work! Check out two other articles we’ve written about copyright infringement: Zillow Paying $8.3 Million to VHT for Copyright Infringement and Getty Images Sued for $1 Billion for Alleged Copyright Infringement.
Written by: Teresa Nguyen
#OwnYourMark #MakeYourMark