Yesterday the guys who run the social media account for Uganda Waragi used the iconic Lake Bunyonyi photo that Marcus Westberg took for Gorilla Highlands. Without anybody’s permission, without attribution, without anything. When alerted about it, Marcus was particularly upset that his work was used to promote alcohol.
After his protest the image was removed of course. But to prevent further unnecessary conflicts or even legal action, please try to understand our position.
Photographers and videographers who contribute their work to the Gorilla Highlands initiative do it because they find it something worth supporting. They do not get paid for it. In some cases we would sponsor their travel and accommodation but even that is not always the case.
They can hope to recoup their investment of time and energy (read our interview with Marcus to understand how much it takes to do this at a professional level) by retaining the rights to these images or videos. In other words, their work cannot be used outside of official Gorilla Highlands products without their consent.
Edirisa, the social enterprise leading the Gorilla Highlands initiative, is eager to see these photos and videos used as much as possible, as long as they promote Uganda and Rwanda as a destination or help local people reap benefits from responsible tourism. However, we expect to be compensated for our investment into media production through mentions of “Gorilla Highlands” and linking to www.gorillahighlands.com.
In short, to do what is right contact us before you reuse any image or video footage we have in our collection. We will connect you with the authors to see what you can do for them. It does not need to be about money.
With some little courtesy we can make sure everybody involved remains motivated to contribute to the Gorilla Highlands initiative. We have amazing professionals – and human beings – on our global team and with your support we can continue doing great things together.