Canadian Perspective
I work in the news media and have sat through countless legal seminars. Bottom line in Canada is if I can see it from a public place I can take a picture of it and post it. I've taken thousands of pictures over the years and never used a model release or consent form. However, all my images are used in a news/current affairs/information context. Anyone who is producing an ad will use an actor and go through the full meal contract deal. Still - there's lots of grey. A TV station in Ontario was sued by a couple of pretty young women whose images the station used to open its late night blue movies. The girls were roller blading in a park when a cameraman captured their images. The judge ruled in favour of the girls. Had the piece been used in a newscast or documentary they would have lost. It all depends on how the image is used. I think Getty has enough lawyers to weed out anything which will be a problem.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
