The Forum of Private Business (FPB) issued the warning after a noticeable increase in calls to its member helpline on the issue in recent months, with several businesses receiving letters demanding payment for unwittingly using copyrighted pictures.
Often, small businesses entrust web design companies to source and upload images to their websites, on the presumption that the design company will have secured permission to use them.
However, frequently this is not the case and liability for any copyright infringement lies with the small business, rather than the design company which developed the website.
As a result, the lobbying group is urging smaller businesses to check they are legally entitled to use the images on their websites in order to avoid potential claims from powerful copyright holders such as Getty Images, one of the world’s largest stock photography companies, which actively pursues copyright infringement involving its images.
Forum chief executive Phil Orford says, ‘We’ve received a number of calls recently from members who have been notified by Getty that they owe money because they are, however unwittingly, using unlicensed images on their websites.
‘I think the digital age has blurred the boundaries of image copyright in many people’s minds and some business owners mistakenly think that because an image is freely available on the internet, it can be reused without permission.’
Orford adds, ‘Recent advancements in technology mean it is increasingly easy and cost-effective for copyright-holders to track the use of their images, so small businesses really need to be careful if they want to avoid receiving a letter through the post demanding money or threatening legal proceedings for copyright infringement.’
The FPB advises small businesses against using any image found on the internet, to only use images within their rights and to always ask their design company if unsure.
See also: Why small businesses should take care when it comes to image licensing – Here, in association with iStock, we look at why it is important to stay diligent when using images found online.
