DMLA is launching a registration drive encouraging the growing field of real estate photographers to join the organization. The DMLA says thousands of real estate photographers practicing nationwide and their clients will benefit by taking advantage of the resources, education and guidance gained by years of experience DMLA members have in the visual licensing industry and how to protect visual works. Real estate photographers and companies can visit www.digitalmedialicensing.org to join the organization.
DMLA is making a direct membership appeal to real estate photography professionals in light of recent court cases related to copyright infringements of professional real estate listing photographs and the extensive unauthorized uses of real estate images. As illustrated by recent court cases, such as VHT Studios v. Zillow, photographers and other content creators are not being properly compensated for these excessive uses. Zillow was found guilty of willful copyright infringement by a jury and ordered to pay over four million dollars to VHT Studios in statutory damages.
Real estate is a vital driver of the U.S. economy, with over 1.2 million professional agents being served by over 10,000 professional photographers working to market the average seller’s most valuable asset. The nation’s largest network of real estate photographers, VHT Studios, is encouraging professional photographers to take advantage of the benefits of DMLA membership. CEO and Co-Founder Brian Balduf says,
“Real estate photographers will benefit from the valuable resources that DMLA has to offer. The chance for the thousands of individual photographers and small companies to come together under one organization to protect our rights and those of our clients is very exciting. We appreciate the DMLA stepping up to help with this very important issue for so many parties. We look forward to working with all of our counterparts in the industry in this effort,” Brian Balduf, CEO & Co-Founder VHT Studios
As a DMLA member, real estate photographers can work within the DMLA structure to help establish and communicate licensing guidelines that benefit all interested parties as well as provide some common language around standard uses and restrictions. DMLA has been advocating on behalf of photographers and digital media licensors to protect copyright for more than 60 years.
Membership provides photographers a much stronger voice, as an industry, to direct and enforce the usage of the Intellectual property they create. Even the real estate agents who photograph their own listings will benefit from DMLA’s services. RE Photographers can join DMLA as Associate Members for $350 per year while larger RE companies will join as General Members at an annual fee based on the size of the company.
DMLA is also reaching out to major real estate organizations to work in conjunction with them to ensure the clients of real estate photographers have their needs addressed.
We have already written a license specifically for Real Estate photographers that addresses the important points essential for doing business today. (http://www.digitalmedialicensing.org/document_library.shtml)