Using images for commercial use

Could anyone advise the process of using an image for commerical use.

We are working on a venture where we plan to use images given to us by facebook/twitter friends, but I need to have written consent that they can be used by us for commerical purposes.  However, I am unsure of wording which will cover us with regard to any royalties/monies made.

Any advice really appreciated from any legal eagles out there.

Nina - I am sure you will get some advice from legal members on here - but I expect you will need to discuss this with your solicitor or similar for the specifics.

It maybe worth looing at the t+c's on some image libraries or archive libraries (dreamstime, shuttertock, corbis etc)

All the best.

Are you intending to sell the images?  Or are you using the images on documentation that advertises your services?

If you look at a majority of sites, 4N as well.  We agree that any content we put on here can be used by 4N.  The BBC and many other sites do the same thing.  So you could have a statement that is similar i.e. any images submitted to you can be freely used in your advertising materials....

An exerpt from the BBC;

In contributing to BBC News you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use the material in any way that we want, and in any media worldwide. This may include the transmission of the material by our overseas partners; these are all reputable foreign news broadcasters who are prohibited from altering the material in any way or making it available to other UK broadcasters or to the print media. (See the Terms and Conditionsfor the full terms of our rights.)

It's important to note, however, that you still own the copyright to everything you contribute to BBC News and that if your image and/or video is accepted, we will endeavour to publish your name alongside it on the BBC News website. Please note that due to operational reasons this accreditation will probably not be possible with video. The BBC cannot guarantee that all pictures and/or video will be used and we reserve the right to edit your comments.

If however, you are intending to sell their photos then you will need to discuss licence fees with the copyright holder.

I can help you, if you want to chat give me a call 01454 203694 a simple non-exclusive licence agreement is all you really need.

Since many people use & share pictureson their Facebook pages they have "found" on the internet it would be worth making it clear that you only want original images wholey created by them.

Any consent is only valid if it is from the original creator & copyright holder of the image.

If one of your Facebook friend sends you an image they have aquired from another source  any consent from them is meaningless