I recently read that the blog Shit My Kids Ruined is the latest to snag a book deal. Which got me wondering: what do blogs like CakeWrecks and Fail Blog, which completely rely on other peoples’ photos, do when they go to print? Do they get the permission to license each photo from the photographer who took it? What about any people who appear in the photo — is their permission sought too?
It seems like the legal departments would insist that these niceties are taken care of, but it also seems like such a chore to track down and get permission from each individual photographer. In some cases, the photographer might not even be known. And that’s not even touching the issue of people who appear in the photo. Yet I know if a photo of me appeared in a book like People of Walmart without my permission, I’d be pretty ticked.
Ah, there’s the rub. Your photo appears on a popular website? Not much you can do about it. Your photo appears in a book based on said website? Sue, sue, sue!
shannon.turlington AT gmail.com 
