Book tip: “Photography and Law in Focus” by Sebastian Deubelli

Book review: photography and law in focus

I have to admit, when I read texts on legal topics, my eyes quickly close. Somehow, therefore, one has little desire to deal with the legal requirements for photography and the Internet. If you start doing it and google about the legal situation if you share someone else's photo on Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter, you will get a lot of articles, some of which even make different statements on the matter.

For me, this situation usually means that I like to postpone the subject of photo rights on the Internet until later and prefer to test a new power bank.

The book "Photography and Law in Focus" by Sebastian Deubelli is equally interesting for bloggers, photographers, affiliate marketers and companies (photos: Sir Apfelot).
The book “Focus on Photography and Law” by Sebastian Deubelli is of equal interest to bloggers, photographers, affiliate marketers and companies (photos: Sir Apfelot).

A hint of fate in the form of a review copy

It's funny how coincidence plays, because about a week ago the mitp-Verlag wrote to me asking if I would like to review a new book that has just come out. The title: "Focus on photography and law"

“Of course!” Was my answer, because as a blogger who puts photos on the Internet himself and shares other people's posts with photos on social media, the topic is very relevant to me. And finally, I have already been sued for injunctive relief several times because I used supposedly "free" photos from Pixelio, which I had incorrectly labeled.

From my point of view, however, these warnings were based on the business idea of ​​some photographers on Pixelio, who are enriched by the fact that the photos cannot be correctly identified when they are shared on the social media platforms and thus a claim for damages is usually successful. But that's another topic that needs to be covered in another post. But you can find a little insight In this section an article about photo portals with license-free photos.

First hand information from a specialist lawyer for copyright and media law

It often frustrates me when I search for legal information on the Internet and then find contradicting statements. So I'm all the more pleased about the book from mitp-Verlag, which finally summarizes all legal areas of photography on the Internet in a handy reference work.

It was written by Sebastian Deubelli, who works as a specialist lawyer for copyright and media law in a law firm and has many years of experience with the subject.

In the book, he also repeatedly goes into examples in current case law and thus provides an overview of what could actually result in a certain situation as a judgment or amount of damages. It also shows which lawsuits are promising and which are more likely to be rejected by the courts.

The table of contents already indicates how extensive the wealth of information in the book is.
The table of contents already indicates how extensive the wealth of information in the book is.

Contents and legal areas of the book

I always find a rough excerpt from the table of contents of books very interesting to determine which areas they cover. For this reason I would like to roughly list the main topics in the book "Photography and Law in Focus":

  1. Copyright
    • Picture stolen (abroad), now what?
    • CGI versus photography - a legal comparison
    • Reiss-Engel - What does Wikipedia have to do with my photos?
    • Trainee takes a photo of my customer's product with my camera - and it's his?!?
    • Image theft, the right way to deal with it
    • Recall of image licenses
    • The top five irrelevant excuses for picture theft
    • Interim status of the GDPR
    • EU upload filters and the practical implications for photographers
    • The photo shows my house - I'm suing you!
    • Panoramic freedom and a cruise ship
    • Idea, motif, photo - everything that can be protected in a photo
  2. Pricing and Tax
    • Pictures sold below their value - no problem
    • Federal Court of Justice - never again compensation for damages after MFM
    • Compensation for picture theft? Sure, something between 0 and 50.000 euros
  3. usage rights
    • Grant usage rights like the big ones
    • Is everything allowed in the election campaign?
    • Three reasons why you should sell usage rights
    • Ten things to consider when granting usage rights
    • The right to edit and everything that goes with it
    • What actually is an editorial use of images?
  4. Social Media
    • Pinterest and copyright
    • Framing, embedding, and other options for free images
    • Facebook, Google and other troublemakers in the image market
    • You will still be able to share pictures on Facebook - right?
    • Licensing in social networks and why it's all so difficult
  5. Practical legal tips
    • Be Right and Be Right - How to Avoid the Biggest Negotiating Mistakes
    • Trademark law for photographers
    • You have to prove that first!
    • The five points that should not be missing in photographer terms and conditions
    • Five things to consider when placing a photo assignment
    • What should definitely not be missing in a photographer contract
    • Three legal problems you can get with product photos and how to avoid them
    • Three tips for dealing with legal violations abroad
    • Legal requirements for digital strategies for photographers
    • Correct handling of order cancellations
    • How to properly deal with negative reviews on the Internet

I have not listed all sub-chapters, but you can already see that the book provides extensive information on the subject of photo law on the Internet.

Understandable spelling for bloggers and photographers

What I particularly like is Mr. Deubelli's spelling. He doesn't compromise on clarity and you won't find any vague statements in his book. Nevertheless, everything is written so understandably that even legally inexperienced people (such as bloggers and photographers) can understand it.

One should not, however, indulge in the hope that it will be a nice bedtime reading. In order to understand the facts, you have to read carefully in some cases so that, for example, you can find subtle differences in the evaluation of the usage rights and understand them. After all, it is a book on the subject of copyright and media law and not an entertaining science fiction novel.

At the end of every major chapter there is a checklist that summarizes the most important points.
At the end of every major chapter there is a checklist that summarizes the most important points.

My conclusion: a good investment

Anyone who has a website and uses social channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or the like is just as much in the book's target group as a photographer. I would even recommend the book to a webmaster with an affiliate site to read, because there is also a chapter on the use of product photos that shows how you can fall on your nose here.

At just under 25 euros, the book is a good investment that can possibly prevent legal problems and the associated financial damage with significantly higher amounts.

And of course you don't have to read it through in one go. The individual chapters are manageable and often have practical examples that make the case law easier to understand and thus make the book more “entertaining”.

If you want to get the book "Photography and Law in Focus", you will find it here at Amazon or via this product box:

Disclaimer: I received the book from the publisher for free, but my recommendation is independent of it.

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The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de

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