MIL Copyrighting pictures of our kids

Tofumonkey · July 2015

Am I being unreasonable?

MIL is an amateur photographer (who isn't now??) that has her own photography business taking portraits of people. Fine, whatever.

Anyway, she coprights all of her damn photos (whatever) and when we were at the park one day she took a funny picture of my kid falling face-first on a slide. It was funny, and she shared it on my Facebook wall.

Well, a friend 'shared it' and my mother in law wants her to f&%king PAY her for the 'using it' because 'it's copyrighted'. WHAT? Eff you, you took the picture with us at a bloody PARK, not on a damn photoshoot. Is it wrong to tell her not to take any pictures of my kids that will be copyrighted unless she books a session and pays us for it?

joleri23 · July 2015

Ha! No, I don't think it's wrong to say that. Just explain it in the context you explained here: it was a day at the park, not a photo shoot. She'll just have to get over it.

KyraNerys · July 2015

It is nice to know that everyone else's family is just as stupid as mine!

I'd ask your mother-in-law to just deduct the "charge" to your friend from the royalty payments to your child. Did you sign some sort of waiver for her to photograph your kid during this trip to the park? LOL!

R.Wilsonny · July 2015

Ummm, no. Just no. In fact, me personally, I would be annoyed at her posting pictures on FB without at least asking you first. (unless she already did, then I'll shut up about that) Tell your MIL to get over herself and as far as the copyright thing - that is your child, not hers. So unless she intends to pay you for the rights to those photos, I'd be telling her to take it down.

One of my biggest peeves are people that take pictures of children that are not their own and post them publicly - particularly without asking the parents first. We had this happen at my daughter's christening. My H's cousin, who we told from the very beginning - NO fb pictures (because there were people not invited to the christening and we didn't want them seeing). That night, I look on fb and not only did she post photos, she posted ones of my naked child in the baptism basin. Then used 50 million stupid hashtags next to the photos. Then had the balls to get offended because she didn't see what was wrong with the pictures when I told her to take them down. Obviously you can see I'm still annoyed by it (2 months later). Oh, and she's decided to move on to the next 'victim' - her SIL just had a baby and she has been plastering a shitload of photos of the child almost daily. No. Just no.

Disneygeek77 · July 2015

Nope, not wrong to tell her she needs to book a photo session and pay you for it from now on. I am so annoyed for you.

LD1970 · July 2015

Photographers own copyright to their photos, but as a mom, you're 100% within your rights to refuse permission for her to take photos of your kid. In fact, I'd suggest that she's not allowed to post ANY photos of your kid ANYWHERE since she didn't have you sign a model release. She wants to play? Play along with her.

Erikan73 · July 2015

I wouldn't be cool with that either. It's one thing if she asks if she can use photos she takes of you and your family when out and about & at family functions for her portfolio. But to copyright anything that wasn't done as part of an official shot is wrong. When does it again, tell her that you never signed a release for the use of the photos as part of her business, so she either needs to pay you for being models for her or to remove the copyright.

MIL Copyrighting pictures of our kids

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