MODEL RELEASE
DEFINITION
A model release is a signed agreement in which a person appearing in a photo, film, or recording grants specific permission for their likeness to be used, usually setting the scope, territory, and duration of that use.
WHAT IT MEANS IN PRACTICE
A release clears the likeness side of a shoot, separate from whoever owns the copyright in the resulting image. Both pieces are needed before commercial use is safe, especially in advertising, packaging, or anything sold under a brand name.
In the US, releases are the standard defence against right of publicity claims, and stock agencies will typically refuse to license an identifiable person's image without one on file. In the EU and UK, a release also has to satisfy data protection consent standards, which are more prescriptive about what the subject was actually told at the time of signing.
Minors, and shoots involving them, generally require a parent or guardian's signature and stricter limits on future use, in both US and EU practice.
AN EXAMPLE
Fatima photographs a couple at a public event for an editorial piece. A skincare brand later wants the same image for a paid campaign. Because Fatima never obtained a model release covering commercial use, she has to go back to the couple before licensing the shot to the brand.
WATCH OUT
Editorial use and commercial use are different categories, and a release for one does not cover the other.
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