Terms & Conditions

Photographs provided to TennMedia.com customers are sold and made available for the purpose of personal use only, unless an agreement has been reached (in writing) granting added rights. Photos are intended for non-commercial or “sentimental” value, such as scrap books or family photo albums — maybe a nifty poster to hang in a family room.

Feel free to inquire about permission to use photographs for rights beyond what is explicitly granted on this page. We can talk, and we are very reasonable. There may or may not even be a charge, depending on the arrangement and desired use.

Personal Use

“Personal use” is defined as a non-commercial and non-promotional use by an individual, most often for a “sentimental” historical reason, such as a family photo album, family DVD slideshow, poster for a friend or family member, and other such reasonable uses that are not specifically listed herein.

Print Use

Photographs may not be used in printed publications without the expressed written permission of TennMedia.com and/or the photographer who shot the image. Extra compensation may or may not be required.

“Print use” is defined as the reproduction of a photograph in any “media” format, be it any kind of paper, or use in other mediums such as television or the Internet. This includes athletic programs, advertising brochures, books, and other items not specifically listed. “Print use” implies a commercial or promotional usage, be it a single poster or a pallet or programs. “Print use” does not include what would reasonably be considered a “personal use”, such as printing the photos from a home printer, or creating a family DVD slideshow.

Online Use

High resolution photographs may not be used online without the expressed written permission of TennMedia.com and the photographer who shot the image. Extra compensation may or may not be required.

“Online use” refers to any location online where images can be viewed publically on-screen. This includes popular “sharing” or “social networking” sites like Flickr, Myspace, Facebook, 1UP, deviantART, LinkedIn and others not named, as well as more traditional HTML websites, forums, bulletin boards and blogs.

“High resolution” images are defined as an image with a maximum length or height of 600 pixels or more, and may not be shared, posted, or otherwise uploaded to these sites referenced as comprising “online use”.

E-mailing images to family members and friends, for their own personal use — i.e., to print for their own sentimental reasons, or save to a family slideshow — is acceptable. It is suggested that anybody receiving an image by e-mail also be given a link to this page on TennMedia.com, so that they may understand what can and cannot be done with the photograph.

Subject Rights

Although the photographer holds the “usage” rights to the photos (unless written arrangements have been made to the contrary), the subject of photos also retains “likeness” rights that must be released. Many of the photographs sold by TennMedia.com are of high school and collegiate sports, and the persons or organizations seeking additional usage rights are usually the school for which the athlete plays. It is very likely that the school can get or already has a photo release or media release on the player — many times this is already included in athletic contracts. TennMedia.com does not assume responsibility for organizations that purchase photos, but fail to obtain proper releases from the subjects of the image.

Why Have These Limitations?

Believe it or not, this is done for your protection as much as it is done in the interest of TennMedia.com and its photographers!

There are unscrupulous people out there — many of whom live in countries like China and Russia that are outside of legal reach — that scour the Internet daily, looking for “salable quality” images to steal and resell without the permission of the photographer or subjects. They download high resolution images from sites like Flickr, Myspace, and blogs, and then turn around and sell them to unknowing stock photo companies online, as well as local companies in their area. It is a very common and profitable activity, and results are often very unfortunate.

One terrible example involves a classy-yet-sultry photo of a teenage girl, a talented photographer making a self-portrait. Somebody in Florida downloaded the high-resolution version of the photograph, and then used it on the cover of a pornographic DVD. The girl was mortified, and this is a true story, not a myth. It would be unfortunate if images taken for our customers ended up being used on something that neither the photographer nor the subject (such as an athlete) agreed to or was compensated for!