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The AOP is a not-for-profit trade association for professionals. That means all the revenues we earn go back into providing the best possible support for photographers, through the work we do.

What the AOP does for its members:

The AOP has dedicated staff to help solve members' problems and offer guidance on a myriad of topics affecting your business as a photographer in a commercial environment. They can be consulted by either email or telephone and their expertise comes from years in the industry. Whilst they are not lawyers, they can often give enough information and guidance to defuse situations and prevent costly legal cases.

We help AOP members with:

  • negotiations for the re-usage of your work
  • contracts from clients, agents and libraries to identify the good, the bad and the ugly clauses and help you negotiate a good deal
  • advice on small claims and county court procedures, providing expert witnesses and even attending court with you
  • arranging arbitration by fellow members and staff for problems that won't go away

Members' problems that need more of a specialist legal eye, can be referred to Swan Turton, a media and IP specialist law firm, who are retained by the AOP to help members with more complicated issues. On referral from the AOP office, members receive up to 30 minutes consultation, the cost of which is mainly borne by the AOP with the balance (currently £40 + VAT) being passed onto the member. Should members need to retain the lawyers' services further, they will be charged by Swan Turton at an AOP discounted hourly rate.

We have a number of web-based products making help available to members 24/7:

  • Beyond the Lens - available as a PDF version free to members
  • FAQ's - questions most frequently asked of the AOP advice staff with answers and links to further information and template letters
  • Business documents - terms and conditions of business; estimate, invoice, & licence templates; model release forms to download
  • Copyright4clients - a resource to inform those clients who can't understand why you won't assign copyright or work for nothing, click here.
  • Usage calculator - replaces the re-usage guidelines by calculating the suggested usage cost from information you input

The AOP represents its members on a number of other organisations to ensure that photographers' voices are heard:

The British Copyright Council

A national consultative and advisory body representing those who create, hold interests in or manage rights in literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, films, sound recordings, broadcasts and other material in which there are rights of copyright or related rights and those who perform such works. As a liaison committee and pressure group for change in copyright law at UK, European and international level, the BCC provides its members with a forum for the discussion of copyright matters.

The British Photographic Council

An umbrella body comprising all the major UK photographic bodies - it exists to protect, develop and promote the rights and interests of photographic image-makers, those involved in the distribution of their work, and the bodies that represent them in the UK. The BPC presents its views to the Government, the European Commission and other relevant bodies either directly, or through and with the co-operation of other bodies with similar aims. It also exists to improve and encourage best practice nationally and internationally on matters relating to the use of photography, and the employment and commissioning of represented photographic image-makers and the distribution of their work.

Design and Artists Copyright Society

DACS provide a range of licensing services for copyright consumers seeking to license the rights of a visual work. Licences for secondary uses of artistic works are administered under collective licensing schemes on behalf of all visual creators. DACS distributes these funds through Payback. DACS also manages the Artist's Resale Right on behalf of artists in the UK. The Artist's Resale Right entitles an artist to a resale royalty each time their artwork is sold by an auction house, gallery or dealer for at least €1000.

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