PROPERTY RELEASE
DEFINITION
A property release is a signed agreement from the owner of a building, artwork, animal, or other identifiable private property, permitting its commercial use in a photo, film, or other work.
WHAT IT MEANS IN PRACTICE
Unlike a model release, this covers things rather than people, but the logic is similar: an owner may have a trademark, design right, or simple property interest in the item that limits its use in advertising even if the photographer owns the image outright.
Stock libraries generally require property releases for recognisable buildings, interior design, and branded objects before accepting commercial submissions, though editorial use is usually exempt in both the US and EU.
Public art and street art raise a particular edge case, since the copyright in the artwork can belong to the artist even when the wall belongs to someone else, meaning a photographer may need clearance from both parties for commercial use.
AN EXAMPLE
Lucas photographs the interior of a privately owned modernist house for a furniture ad. Even though he took the photo and owns the file, the homeowner's distinctive interior may need a property release before the ad agency can safely run the campaign.
WATCH OUT
A striking mural in a photo can carry its own separate copyright owned by the muralist, a different issue from the property release with the wall's owner.
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