Commissioning,
Licensing &
Copyright

2.1

Copyright in all Photographs created by Steve Gregson remains with Steve Gregson at all times throughout the world unless copyright is expressly assigned under a separate written agreement signed by the Photographer.

2.2

Ownership of copyright does not pass to the Client simply because the Client commissioned, possesses, paid for or has been supplied with a Photograph.

Steve Gregson Photography provides photographic services and licenses agreed rights to reproduce the resulting Photographs.

2.3

Any reproduction rights granted to the Client are licences only. No assignment, transfer or partial assignment of copyright shall be implied.

2.4

Unless otherwise specified in writing or under one of the licensing arrangements in section 7, Photographs are licensed for the period stated on the relevant quotation or invoice.

Once a licence has expired, further use requires the written agreement of Steve Gregson Photography.

Where requested, the Client must cease further publication and distribution and delete or archive supplied digital files in accordance with the Photographer's instructions.

2.5 Moral Rights and Credit

Steve Gregson asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of his work in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Where a credit is required, the credit shall be:

Steve Gregson Photography

or another credit expressly agreed in writing.

2.6

Where a required copyright notice or credit is omitted, Steve Gregson Photography reserves the right to charge an additional fee. Unless otherwise agreed, that additional fee may be no less than 25% of the relevant original licence fee.

2.7 Alteration

The Client must not materially alter, manipulate, retouch, composite or otherwise adapt a Photograph without the prior written permission of Steve Gregson Photography.

Normal resizing necessary for an authorised reproduction does not constitute an assignment of rights or permission for any other alteration.

3.1

Reproduction rights are strictly limited to the uses, territories, media and periods stated on the quotation, invoice or other written licence issued by Steve Gregson Photography.

Any additional use requires prior written agreement.

3.2

Unless expressly stated otherwise, licences are non-exclusive.

3.3

Reproduction rights are granted to the Client named on the relevant invoice and may not be assigned, sold or transferred.

The Client may supply Photographs to third parties only where reasonably necessary for the exercise of the rights expressly granted — for example, to press contacts, printers, designers or other authorised suppliers — and remains responsible for ensuring that such third parties comply with the applicable licence.

3.4

No copyright transfer or broader licence shall arise by implication.

3.5

Steve Gregson Photography may refuse to grant additional reproduction rights or licences to the Client or to any third party.

3.6 Unauthorised Use

Any use outside the scope of an agreed licence constitutes unauthorised use and may constitute copyright infringement.

Steve Gregson Photography reserves the right to charge an appropriate retrospective licence fee and to pursue any other remedies available.

3.7 Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Automated Use

Unless expressly licensed in writing by Steve Gregson Photography, no Photograph or other material supplied by the Photographer may be:

• used to train, fine-tune, develop, benchmark or evaluate an artificial-intelligence or machine-learning system;
• uploaded to a generative AI service for the purpose of creating derivative or competing imagery;
• incorporated into a dataset intended for AI or machine-learning use;
• systematically scraped, harvested or extracted for such purposes; or
• supplied to a third party for any of those purposes.

No licence granted under these Terms includes AI or machine-learning rights unless those rights are expressly stated in writing.

5.1 Confirmed Bookings

Once a date and time have been confirmed, Steve Gregson Photography reserves that period for the Client and may decline other work for the same period.

5.2 Cancellation by the Client

If a confirmed booking is cancelled by the Client, the following cancellation fees apply:

In addition, the Client remains responsible for any reasonable expenses or non-refundable costs already incurred by Steve Gregson Photography in connection with the booking.

5.3 Rescheduling or Circumstances Beyond Reasonable Control

Where a shoot cannot reasonably proceed because of weather, lighting, venue circumstances, illness, safety concerns or another circumstance outside Steve Gregson Photography's reasonable control, the Photographer and Client will endeavour to agree a replacement date.

Where no suitable replacement date can be agreed within a reasonable mutually agreed period, or within two calendar months where no other period is agreed, Steve Gregson Photography reserves the right to charge 50% of the booked photography fee together with expenses already incurred.

6.1

Unless agreed otherwise in writing, Steve Gregson Photography's payment terms are strictly net 28 days from the date of invoice.

6.2

Where a qualifying commercial invoice remains unpaid after its due date, Steve Gregson Photography reserves the right to claim statutory interest, fixed compensation and reasonable recovery costs where permitted under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and associated legislation.

For qualifying business-to-business debts, statutory interest is currently calculated at 8 percentage points above the Bank of England base rate unless an applicable contractual provision provides otherwise.

6.3

Steve Gregson Photography reserves the right to recover reasonable administrative and debt-recovery costs arising from overdue accounts where legally recoverable.

6.4

Where reproduction rights are subject to payment, the Client's right to exercise those rights arises only once the relevant invoice has been paid in full, unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing.

Use before the licence becomes effective may constitute both a breach of contract and an infringement of copyright.

6.5

If an invoice remains unpaid after its due date, Steve Gregson Photography may suspend ongoing services, including image delivery, galleries, downloadable pages or other access provided to the Client, until the account is brought up to date.

6.6

Where several invoices are outstanding, Steve Gregson Photography reserves the right, where legally permissible, to suspend further services pending settlement of overdue sums.

6.7 Payment Method

Payment by BACS is preferred. Payment details will be supplied on the relevant invoice.

8.1

Steve Gregson Photography will professionally edit the photographs created during a commission and will deliver the images the Photographer considers to represent the strongest and most appropriate coverage of the commissioned work.

8.2

Unless otherwise agreed in advance, the Client has no right to reject delivered work solely on the basis of photographic style, composition, selection or editing.

8.3

No material addition, deletion, manipulation or adaptation of a Photograph may be made without the prior written permission of Steve Gregson Photography.

9.1

Steve Gregson Photography will take reasonable professional care in carrying out each commission but shall not be responsible for losses arising from circumstances outside its reasonable control.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful.

9.2

The Client is responsible for ensuring that its use of supplied Photographs remains within the scope of the licence granted.

The Client agrees to be responsible for claims, losses or reasonable costs arising from its unauthorised reproduction, distribution or licensing of Photographs.

9.3 Permissions, Releases and Third-Party Rights

Unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing, the Client is responsible for ensuring that any permissions, consents, performance permissions, venue permissions, model or performer releases, parental permissions, trademark permissions or other third-party rights required for the intended commissioned use have been obtained.

Steve Gregson Photography does not warrant that rights belonging to people, venues, artworks, trademarks, designs, sets, costumes or other material depicted within a Photograph are cleared for every possible use.

The Client must therefore satisfy itself that its intended reproduction is appropriately authorised.

9.4 Original Materials

Where physical originals, prints or other irreplaceable materials are supplied to a Client, responsibility for their reasonable care passes to the Client while they remain in its possession or under its control.

Any loss or damage must be reported promptly.

Payment of compensation for lost or damaged material does not transfer copyright or any other rights in that material.

10.1

These Terms & Conditions and any dispute or claim arising from them shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales.

The courts of England and Wales shall have jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory legal rights that apply.

10.2

No variation of these Terms shall be effective unless agreed in writing by Steve Gregson Photography and the Client.

10.3

For the purposes of these Terms, an agreement made by email or other written electronic communication may constitute written agreement where the intention of the parties is clear.

10.4 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in effect to the extent permitted by law.