Selling and Copywritting Prints

[Creagerj]

I've been browsing over old threads and I came accross one that caught my eye. It was about selling prints and signing them. It adressed a few things like where to sign on a print and what to put down, however I have a couple of questions. If you're gong to rubberstamp a print and say that it is copyrighted how do you go about getting a copyright for the print? Because I think that just saying your print is copyrighted doesn't count.

1. Say I did a shoot for a band while they were playing a show and they wanted to buy my prints to use as promo pics and album art. How would I go about making sure that I recieve credit for these pictures?

2. What is the proper way to sell a picture in the first place?

3. What is the differance between selling a print and selling the rights to that print and how do you distiguish that with the buyer?

4. If there are contracts involved in this selling proccess how would you draft one up? Does it need to be noterized? What would you want to include in the contract?

I know that these are question that mostly deal with the legal side of photography. A subject that most don't like. However I'm sure that there are some of you who have dealt with this before. I'm just trying to ask question supposing that I do someday decide to sell a picture I take.

 

[Finder]

In most countries and I believe this applies to the States, the creator of a work has automatic copyright of the image unless it is done as "work for hire." So placing the copyright notice on your work is valid. To receive the most damages for copyright infringement in the US you need to register the work.

I would get a book on legal rights for photographers as well as how to sell a work and rights. ASMP has a very thorough book on the subject, which is far to complex to be answered in a post.

 

[Creagerj]

Well,
I never would have guessed that even though it does make since that since you took the picture you have automatic ownership of the picture.