Welcome to the Woodley Photographic Club ("the Club"). As a photography club, we respect the intellectual property rights of our members and the wider creative community. This document outlines the legal terms regarding the copyright of photographs displayed on our website, submitted to competitions, or used in club promotions.

1. Ownership of Copyright

Under UK law (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988), copyright automatically belongs to the photographer the moment an image is captured.

• Photographer Retains Full Rights: Woodley Photographic Club acknowledges that you retain full ownership and copyright of any image you submit to the Club.
• No Transfer of Ownership: Submitting your photographs for club galleries, competitions, or social media does not transfer your copyright to the Club.

2. Limited License Granted to the Club

By submitting your images to the Club (via our website upload forms, email, or physical media) for competitions, exhibitions, or online galleries, you grant Woodley Photographic Club a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to:

1. Display the image on the official Woodley Photographic Club website ([Insert Website URL]).
2. Share the image on the Club's official, managed social media channels (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) explicitly to showcase member achievements.
3. Feature the image in internal club newsletters or annual program guides.
4. Submit the image to external regional or national competitions (such as local federations or the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain - PAGB) when you have explicitly agreed to represent the Club in such events.

This license can be revoked by the photographer at any time by contacting the Club Secretary in writing. Upon receiving a removal request, the Club will remove the image from its website and future digital publications within 14 days.

3. Member Warranties & Guarantees

When you submit an image to the Club website or a competition, you guarantee that:

• Original Work: The image is entirely your own original work, captured by you.
• No Infringement: The image does not infringe upon the copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights of any third party. AI-generated elements or third-party stock assets must comply with the specific rules of the active club competition.
• Consents & Permissions: Where a living person is clearly identifiable in a portrait style or private setting, you have obtained necessary permissions, and you take full responsibility for ensuring the image complies with privacy expectations under UK GDPR.

4. Protecting Your Images Online

Woodley Photographic Club takes reasonable steps to protect your images from unauthorized downloading or misuse by the public:

• Resolution Restrictions: All images uploaded to our public website galleries are restricted to a maximum resolution (e.g., 1920 pixels on the long edge at 72dpi). High-resolution files are strictly reserved for printing or internal judging systems and are never exposed to the public internet.
• Metadata Preservation: The Club will make every reasonable effort to ensure that your EXIF data, copyright metadata, and author tags are not intentionally stripped out by our website platform.
• Watermarks: Members are welcome and encouraged to apply a subtle, non-intrusive digital watermark or copyright notice (e.g., © Your Name 2026) to the corner of their images prior to website submission.

5. Third-Party Copyright Infringement (Image Theft)

While the Club implements reasonable protections, the internet is a public forum.

• The Club is not liable for the actions of third parties who unlawfully copy, download, or screenshot images displayed on our website.
• If we discover or are notified that a member's work has been stolen from our site, we will provide the member with any available log data or support to help them pursue their own copyright claim.

6. DMCA / Takedown Policy for the Public

If you are a member of the public and believe that an image hosted on the Woodley Photographic Club website infringes upon your copyright or was posted without legal authorization, please submit a formal Takedown Request.

To file a notice, please provide:

1. A description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed.
2. The exact URL link where the material is located on our site.
3. Your contact information (name, email address, and phone number).
4. A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner.

Send this information directly to: *webmaster@woodleyphoto.co.uk. We take intellectual property claims seriously and will investigate and remove valid infringing material promptly.