Almost Famous
What would you do if you walked into a popular high street fashion chain and your face was staring right back at you, from the front of a t-shirt? Well that’s what happened to a tattooist from Leeds.
Richard Elsby got wind of the shirt which is currently on sale in H&M after his bemused friends saw it and text him. He subsequently found out the t-shirt is also on sale in the Netherlands, France and the US.
It turns out the image was one the tattooist had commissioned for his tattoo website from a friend who was a photographer. When Elsby contacted H&M to query the matter it said it had licensed the image from Getty images and had seen a valid model release form. H&M was able to demonstrate that it had paid for the picture and could use it on licence.
The photographer who took the picture couldn’t remember what happened with the contract since it was taken so long ago.
We’re unsure how it will be resolved but it’s certainly a complicated situation, and another one highlighting the complexity and dangers of using images without full understanding of the agreement or proper permissions.
The full story was reported here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25270263