Need help securing rights clearance for your visual asset? Get in touch.
Finding the perfect visual asset is more than just searching a content library. You’ll likely need to navigate rights and clearances too.
That’s why Alamy has a longstanding partnership with Six Degrees who have over 25 years’ experience securing rights and clearances for a wide range of use cases all around the world.
So no matter which asset you want to use from the Alamy collection, we can secure the necessary clearances you need.
What is a rights clearance?
Rights clearance is the third-party rights that appear in a video or image. This might include a famous building, a brand logo, or any other intellectual property.
All images and videos on Alamy are cleared for use with the photographer, illustrator, or videographer. But you may need additional clearances if other copyrighted, trademarked, or protected elements appear in the visual asset.
The infamous Hollywood sign is copyrighted. This means you'll need to secure additional clearances to use this image commercially.
Many assets also come with model and property releases but if they haven’t, then you’ll need to secure these before they are safe for commercial use. That’s why we’ve partnered with Six Degrees to ensure all Alamy content is available for all use cases.
Their extensive database of sources and contacts means they’re able to find the right person to speak to, however elusive, so that when you find the perfect image, it becomes more than just an idea in your mock-ups.
Alamy’s partnership with Six Degrees
Six Degrees provides research, rights and clearance services for music, talent, film and TV clips, user-generated media and other intellectual properties utilised in advertising, corporate and entertainment projects.
Did you know? Graffiti is artwork that belongs to the original artist. So any content that has graffiti in the background must be cleared before it is safe for commercial use.
As you may already know, it’s not always easy. Even George Bartko, one of the co-founders of Six Degrees and a veteran in the media industry, admits that securing clearances is an absolute minefield.
“Copyright laws vary from state-to-state in the US, and from country-to-country. So knowing which law to follow isn’t always the easiest thing to figure out”.
And that’s why the service that Six Degrees provides is invaluable to buyers and users of visual assets around the world. This means that even if an image says it’s not available for commercial use, The Six Degrees Team may be able to make the necessary enquiries to secure rights for any kind of usage.
What makes Six Degrees so well placed to secure rights and clearances?
Six Degrees was founded by Gina Ragusa and George Bartko in 2008 – they are clearance experts with over two decades of experience in this field.
They knew there was a need for a more transparent, customer service-oriented approach to managing and fulfilling large commercial projects requiring content research, clearances, and licensing services.
It can be tricky to find out who owns the personality rights of deceased celebrities. That's where the expertise of Six Degrees comes in.
George tells me: “Our team has handled some of the world’s largest campaigns for the largest companies requiring talent, brand, artwork and any other intellectual property featured in licensable images.”
Oftentimes, simply finding the right contact to secure clearances can be tricky. Especially when it’s not clear who the rights holder is. That why Six Degrees have a network of contacts giving them a massive head start. But what if they don’t have the right contact?
“If we don’t have the proper contact, our team is relentless in reaching out to executives and departments that typically handle the type of clearances we need for commercial projects.”
Gina tells me that the process starts by identifying the intellectual property in the image. But so many questions need to be asked first. What’s the final use? In what context will the image be shown? Is there a budget for clearance?
Gina elaborates: “All of these factors help us create a strategy for presenting the clearance opportunity, and the approach to secure the permission. We have decades of experience in this practice and are confident in developing the optimal approach needed for any type of clearance.”
A track record of securing rights and clearances
It’s clearly an approach that works. Six Degrees were recently tasked with securing rights clearance for images of Mary Pickford and Jane Campion. The images were needed for a print ad during the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
Six Degrees worked in tandem with Mary Pickford’s foundation to agree on the image, copy and presentation of her image in the campaign. Similarly, Jane Campion’s team worked closely with Six Degrees in agreeing to the image used, placement and copy that accompanied it.
So it really doesn’t matter which visual asset you need to secure rights and clearances for, we’ll put you in the steady hands of Six Degrees and their experienced team. Then they’ll put together a strategy to maximise your chance of using your first-choice asset.
If you’ve found the perfect asset that you need to secure rights clearance for, get in touch to make the most of our partnership with Six Degrees.