Image copyright guide · checked 14 October 2026

Got a letter from PicRights?

Don't panic, don't ignore it, and don't pay the first number. Here's who they are and how to answer.

Who they are

PicRights is a compliance company that finds news photos used online and asks for a licence fee. It acts for news agencies including AFP, the Associated Press and Reuters. Its letters usually ask for hundreds of dollars or more per image and give around 14 days to pay.

What they want

A retroactive licence fee for the image. If you don't pay, PicRights often hands US claims to the law firm Higbee & Associates, and the letters become more forceful. In the UK and Australia, claims are usually measured by what a licence would have cost.

What to do

1. Take the image down from the page and from your media library or server, then clear your caches.
2. Don't ignore the letter, and don't pay the first figure.
3. Reply in writing, not by phone. Ask who owns the copyright, how the sender got the right to claim, the exact URL and dates of use, and how the fee was worked out.
4. If you licensed or created the image, send your proof and ask them to close the claim.
5. If you didn't, offer a fair licence fee in return for a signed release from the sender and the owner. Pay only after you have it.

Worth knowing

PicRights acts for the agencies, not as the copyright owner, so ask for the chain of licences showing it can bring the claim, as well as the registration details if you're in the US.

Check my risk and write my reply

Other senders: Higbee & Associates · Copytrack · Getty Images · Image copyright demand letter kit

Sources: Heitner Legal on PicRights, Heitner Legal on Higbee & Associates, Sprintlaw UK, Sprintlaw Australia, 17 U.S.C. §§412, 507.