All Photographs appearing in this site are the exclusive property of Mr P.J.Thompson, known as Finchley, and are protected under international copyright laws.
All texts are copyright [1968-2023] Finchley or their relevant author where indicated.
Photographs are not to be downloaded, reproduced, copied, stored, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way, alone or with any other material, or by use of computer or other electronic means without the express prior written permission of Finchley and his agents.
Requests for use of my images should be made in writing to paul@byfinchley.com
Copyright and the Law
In the United Kingdom, the copyright of a photograph is automatically assigned in law to the photographer the moment the shutter button has been pressed. There is no need to make any registered claim.
Why I retain my copyright
Copyright is a point of law which allows me to protect my work and maintain control over the usage and reproduction of any of my images. Reasons for retaining this control include:
My images are my income by which means I pay my bills and live my life
I can control the quality of reproduction of my images. They are my reputation. How often have you seen great images ruined by Instagram or SnapChat filters!!
By maintaining copyright I can protect the interests of my clients. Their images will never unexpectedly turn up on a competitors website or promotional materials, nor will they get used for a brand or cause they don't want to be associated with.
Breaches of copyright
Any use of any of my images without permission even if the user makes no financial gain is a breach of my copyright.
It is the responsibility of the user of the image to find the copyright owner and get permission for use of the image and pay a fee if required. The law allows for the owner of the copyright to make a (fair and reasonable) charge for the use of the image.
If you have a website or other promotional material, you are considered to be the publisher and are therefore responsible for the presence of any images on those materials even if they were placed there by an external web design agency. "I didn't know" is not an excuse that get you off the hook.
All public images on my website are tracked by an automatic image tracking service which lets me know of any usages of my images around the internet. The service will pursue via a world wide network of law firms, usages that I have not given permission for.
Selling copyright
Of course it is possible for a photographer to sell their copyright (referred to as "full buyout") but it's something I don't do. It would be a very expensive option as essentially I would be giving up the rights to ensure the image is used in a way which is positive for my reputation. I would lose any potential income from licensing and it would also mean I couldn't use the image for my own marketing and promotion.
Just think of how loss of copyright affected The Beatles. They didn't own the copyright to the lyrics of their iconic music and had no control over the publishing, sale and usage of their creativity.