Can I sell my own photographs through Rail-Online?
Yes absolutely – we want to encourage owners of photographic collections to make them available through Rail-Online. Contact us to tell us what you have and we will discuss with you the best way to move forward. We can work from your original negatives or slides and create the digital images and upload them into the database for you, or we can provide a secure facility which lets you do this for yourself. Note that for obvious security reasons we will not put any self-loaded images onto the live site without first checking them thoroughly – if necessary referring back to you.
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Why should I put my photograph collection onto Rail-Online?
Rail-Online allows you to earn an income stream from your collection whilst preserving it in a very secure environment. You may have negatives or slides in boxes or files which never see the light of day from one year to the next. As with all such photographic material these will naturally deteriorate over time and can often be accidentally damaged or even thrown away. Rail-Online provides a secure home for your pictures which preserves them indefinitely irrespective of what may happen to the originals, and also makes them available to other enthusiasts.
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Who keeps the original negatives or slides?
Rail-Online retains the full rights to all digital images on its site. If you ask us to input and upload your photographs to create the digital images for you we will firstly agree with you a secure method of obtaining your original negatives or slides. We can if appropriate collect originals from you or you can send them to us via Registered Post. We will always acknowledge collection or receipt of the images immediately in writing or by email and agree a time and method to return them to you. In some cases we can store originals for you but we would need to discuss each case individually with you.
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How much does Rail-Online pay for using my images?
Rail-Online will pay a percentage of the selling price it receives each time your photograph is purchased through the site. The percentage depends on agreement individually with each copyright owner but will naturally be higher if the owner creates, uploads and describes the image themselves.
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When is payment made to copyright owners?
Arrangements are flexible and can be varied from a monthly payment upwards, with agreed de minimis amounts. The method of payment will also be agreed individually with each copyright owner.
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How do I know what has been sold from my collection?
Our database holds a complete record of every image sold showing who purchased it, the date, type of usage and price. Every collection owner will receive a full list of sales quantities, values and usage type for each of their images sold in support of their royalties due. For images sold to authors and publications we will provide details of the purchaser so you can see where your images are used.
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Can I sell my photographs anonymously?
Every new collection made available to us can be placed onto the site either anonymously or with full ownership description according to the owner’s preference.
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What happens when the copyright owner dies?
Rail-Online will continue to sell images until officially notified by the executors of a deceased’s estate and will pay all outstanding copyright monies to them. What happens after that depends on the deceased’s instructions when their photographs were placed with Rail-Online and the provisions of their will. Rail-Online will be pleased to continue to sell the digital images on behalf of the family or other beneficiary such as a preservation society.
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What if my own copyright photographs are sold inadvertently by Rail-Online without my consent?
While we make every effort to ensure all the images sold on Rail-Online are sold with the full knowledge and consent of the copyright owner we know that sometimes mistakes occur. As soon as we are made aware of this and have satisfactory proof of the copyright we will, if requested, withdraw the image from the site. We will pay the copyright owner forthwith a percentage of the sales values received from the image on the following sliding scale:-
Sold within the past Fraction of full royalty
0-1 year Full
1-2 years 5/6
2-3 years 4/6
3-4 years 3/6
4-5 years 2/6
5-6 years 1/6
Over 6 years nil
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