A U.S. court has ruled that a leading news organization improperly used images originally posted to Twitter by a freelance photographer.
--- # [](https://www.innovation-asset.com/) - [Decipher®](https://www.innovation-asset.com/products-decipher) - [Services](https://www.innovation-asset.com/products/professional-services-0) - [Resources](https://www.innovation-asset.com/resources) - [Blog](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog) - [About Us](https://www.innovation-asset.com/about) - [Contact Us](https://www.innovation-asset.com/contact) # Innovation Asset Blog # Copyright and social media clash in photojournalism case by [Peter Ackerman](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/author/peter-ackerman) As the intellectual property community attempts to adapt practices and policies for an increasingly digital economy, online media has posed a number of difficult questions regarding copyright protection and [royalty management](https://www.innovation-asset.com/solutions/modules/decipher_commercialization/). The conversation turned to social media this week as a [U.S. court ruled](http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2020427/morel_afp_opinion.pdf) that a leading news organization improperly distributed images posted to Twitter by a freelance photographer. When Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2010, Daniel Morel was among the first photographers surveying the damage. According to the [British Journal of Photography](http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2236638/agence-francepresse-infringed-on-photographers-copyright-in-landmark-twitter-case), he soon uploaded approximately a dozen of the images he captured to Twitter. The photos were eventually picked up by Agence France-Press (AFP) and included in related stories from various affiliated publishers - including The Washington Post. Morel filed suit against AFP, alleging the news agency had violated the Copyright Act of 1976 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act with its unauthorized distribution and publication of his original images. New York District Court Judge Alison Nathan ruled in Morel's favor this past week, citing the user-generated content protections contained in Twitter's terms of service agreement at the time. AFP and The Washington Post are effectively liable for copyright infringement, according to [Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/15/socialmedia-copyright-ruling-idUSL2N0AK5UD20130115), but Morel may only be able to claim a limited set of damages. Several other issues, including AFP's intent and the potential role of its business partner Getty Images, were left to be decided at a future trial date.  ### [Peter Ackerman](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/author/peter-ackerman) Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc. [January 15, 2013](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/copyright-and-social-media-clash-in-photojournalism-case-2) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Introducing Decipher® ### Categories - [Intellectual Property Management (459)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/intellectual-property-management) - [Commercialization and Licensing (210)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/commercialization-and-licensing) - [Invention Disclosure (201)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/invention-disclosure) - [Innovation Strategy (20)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/innovation-strategy) - [Ideas for Good (6)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/ideas-for-good) - [Innovation Team (3)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/innovation-team) ### News Archives - [January 2013 (26)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2013/01) - [September 2012 (25)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/09) - [October 2012 (22)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/10) - [November 2012 (22)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/11) - [November 2010 (21)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2010/11) - [February 2011 (21)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2011/02) - [July 2012 (21)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/07) - [December 2012 (21)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/12) - [January 2012 (20)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/01) - [March 2012 (20)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/03) ##### Portland, Oregon USA ##### © Innovation Asset Group, Inc. ##### [Privacy Policy](https://www.innovation-asset.com/privacy-policy/) | [Terms & Conditions](https://www.innovation-asset.com/terms-and-conditions/) | [Contact Us](https://www.innovation-asset.com/contact/) -