Dave DeWitt, North Carolina Public Radio; Copyright law violation? Mark Robinson campaign used photos from freelancer without permission
"“Unfortunately, we see this happen repeatedly, every election season,” says Alicia Calzada, Deputy General Counsel for National Press Photographers Association. “In many cases it is not malicious. Rather it is a consequence of a campaign not understanding the basics of copyright law. This is especially true in down-ballot races, but we see infringement all the way up and down the ballot, and we see it in both parties.
“That said, the communications team of a gubernatorial campaign should be professional enough to know better."...
Hey says she plans to reach out to the Robinson campaign and ask that the photos be removed immediately. As of Friday afternoon, the photos were still on the site. Hey says she intends to explore legal options, if the photos are not removed.
In some ways, the damage may already be done.
“In the context of a political campaign, a photojournalist needs to remain impartial as a part of their job responsibilities, and so when a campaign uses photographs without permission, it threatens the appearance of impartiality,” Calzada said. “This is one reason why many photojournalists fight so hard to protect their copyright.”"
