granting rights of photos to websites

I was wondering what you all thought of granting (paid of course) rights of your photos for use on a web site? I guess my main concern is that you have no control of the picture once you give it to the end user. Have any of you had problems/ experience with this? Thanks for the input.

David, I'm not sure you can fully control what happens with any photo that you give to someone, whether it's for web or for print, whether you're handing it over for free or licensing it for a fee. If you're concerned about the image being misused, you should probably make sure the client agrees to or signs a licensing agreement before you hand the image over. That still won't prevent abuse, but at least you'll have legal recourse to go after them if something goes wrong.

Hope you can work it out and get a fair rate.

Max

My stock agencies license images for use on websites all the time, and I have virtually no control over how they use it, but that's the compromise you make when you sell your images commercially. I only offer certain images for stock use, so it doesn't bother me.

We don't let them out the door without licensing agreement (and payment, of course). After that it's a matter of surveillance on your part. If abused though, how much time and money are you willing to spend pursuing someone after a minimum $100 sale?

BTW- When it comes to licensing, it's worthwhile to keep tabs on the end dates of licenses, then contact clients before expiration to negotiate a new license. Adds up to quite a bit of money over a year, and it's easy to lose track. Even if they don't want to relicense the photo, it's the perfect atmosphere for licensing a replacement photo. It's also a very tactful way to remind them that they signed a license agreement for a specific time period, and the end date is approaching. And that you are watching!