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In the world of photography when somebody talks about Rights Managed (or RM) images, it refers to a copyright license which allows the use of the image as specified by the license.
For example, when buying an image under a Rights Managed license, you need to inform the photographer or his agent on how you wish to use the image, most commonly they will ask you the duration of the usage and the territories where you are planning to distribute the image.
Most people are uneasy with this step and prefer to stay away from Rights Managed content, but remember that this is a license that protects you as an end user better than any other.
Try if you put yourself in the shoes of the creator of the image: you can certainly understand why they wish to have this information. For example, if somebody (let’s call him Bob) asks you to borrow your car you would like to know how long they are going to keep it, how far they think to go and if they are planning to run in a rally or just drive up to IKEA…..
Following with the car parallel, you might also ask Bob if he is planning to repaint or retouch your vehicle. Mind you, the difference between a photographer and you, in this case, is that they are usually happy for you to retouch their images … you are probably less likely to agree on a new colour for your car…
Another question you might want to ask Bob is if he intends to start a taxi service with your car? In this case you need insurance or some clearance to transport passengers. The photographer/image parallel could be: do you need the image for commercial usage? It might need a model release or an indemnification. You may require copyright clearance. A serious photographer or agency should advise you about this step.
You and Bob carry on chatting about the intended use of your car and he tells you he would like to use it exclusively. Since it is a RM car, you can offer that to Bob. If we were talking about Royalty Free Images, your car would be more like a train vagon and you wouldn’t be able to offer (or guarantee) Bob the exclusive use of it….
RM licences can be given on a non-exclusive or exclusive basis.
Why is this important when talking about images?
If you are an advertising agency you wouldn’t like to pitch an image for a campaign and then discover that the same image is used on the other side of the world for a constipation medicine.
If you are choosing an image for a beautiful hardcover book that tries to demonstrate the “Importance of safe driving” you might want to ask the photographer if the same image has been used on the cover of Bob’s book titled: “Reckless driving”.
Remember: The WorldWideWeb and Google image search results can easily find “visually similar images” and show them next to each other.
It is also good to remember that your Rights Manage car/image has been created by a professional, not by an enthusiastic (even if extremely talented!) DIYer at home.
More and more Royalty Free images are taken by amateurs because professional photographers can’t make a living with the royalties paid to them by these licenses.
We understand the concept of budget, RM licenses, because they are tailored to your specific usage, can be even cheaper than RF. And going back to the car parallel for the last time: would you rather buy the right to drive a properly designed car or you would instead risk to use a possibly cheaper (and maybe not so safe) homemade vehicle? Choose Rights Managed, choose a professional creator. Choose RM, adopt a photographer.
