: Prove the License Agreement This is a problem I have been searching for a solution on for some time now. The company I am working for, name not needed, has images prior to my hiring that

@Holmes874

That you are in possession of the digital file is no indication that the file was obtained via a purchase with a license, nor is there any indication as to what the specific license may have been.

You could use something like Google Image Search to upload the image and see if Google can find the source, then you can contact the source to see if they have any record of your company having purchased a license.

But, honestly, unless you are an unpaid intern, I think your company would be spending more money wasting your time than they would if they just purchase new images with new licenses (and this time, keep track of them).

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@Kimberly620

Licenses are really hard to prove. Basically you need to have a receipt of purchase and a proof of transfer. If you do not have these you basically wont have a legal standing, unless you can find the original image with a revese search, and it happens to be free or CC. Begin by checking the image metadata first you may luck out.

It is also advisable to use company credit card for the purchase. Because it can be easily traced and the ownership is easier to prove.
In future you need to be sure to archive your purtchase info somewhere searchable (also add this info to image metadata). I know 3 persons who have a full time job doing nothing but managing license info.

It is hard to determine licenses after the fact. Base assumption in copyright should allways be you have no rights unless you have been explicitly given permission. In which case you should know it.

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