Who is Visual Rights Group?
Visual Rights Group is a global copyright protection partner for creators of original imagery and their distribution partners. Initially founded in Belgium in 2013, the company was created by a specialist in international copyright law and an IT engineer. By merging legal expertise with advanced technology, we created a unique company capable of navigating the complexities of intellectual property in the digital age.
Following our inception in Antwerp, we established an international presence across the UK, France, and the US. In 2025, we reached a key milestone by launching our Australian operations to service the APAC region and safeguard the local creative ecosystem.
We provide an end-to-end ecosystem designed to protect the integrity of professional creators and their distributors. These creators invest significant resources, including high-end equipment, global travel, and years of specialised expertise, to capture the imagery that informs our world. Protecting these investments is essential to the survival of the photography and news industries.
To support our partners, we leverage proprietary image recognition technology to monitor the global digital landscape. This enables us to distinguish between imagery used under valid licences and instances where authorisation has not been obtained.
Case Management: When unauthorised use is identified, we provide the necessary counsel, case management and escalation pathways to resolve infringements.
Global Reach: Visual Rights Group is part of an integrated global network with an active presence in 16 markets worldwide, supported by an extensive framework of local and international intellectual property specialists.
While an infringement claim may be the immediate result of our work, our mission is to educate internet users on their responsibilities when publishing imagery online. We aim to bridge the knowledge gap, guiding the digital community away from uninformed practices and toward legitimate licensing channels.By fostering respect for the expertise of creative professionals, we ensure that original photography remains a protected, vital pursuit for the future.
With extensive and several years of experience as CEO. He has led organisations through a layer of managers, founded companies, prepared them for growth, and executed turn arounds. He has worked with Danish and International organisations, some with complicated owner structures and venture funded.
With over 10 years’ experience in managing the global distribution of imagery and achieving fair remuneration for authors, Chris Vaughan is an expert in the field of visual media licensing. After a position as head of distribution at ‘Image Source’, he is now commercial director for Visual Rights Group, Ltd. in the UK.
We have found an image belonging to one of our partners in use on a website that you are responsible for. Our partner has not been able to locate a licence for the use of this image on the domain in question and therefore, we have reason to believe that the use of this image is unauthorised and in violation of copyright law.
Visual Rights Group is a company that was born out of a deep-rooted respect for people - writers, photographers and creators of all kinds - who have the talent and courage to be original. From day one, our purpose has been to safeguard and salute originality.
Founded in 2013 by experts in international copyright law, Visual Rights Group is a global leader in image copyright protection. We leverage a unique blend of legal and technical innovation to help creators and distribution partners safeguard their work in the digital marketplace.
Visual Rights Group is a registered Australian company with our headquarters in Sydney and our business registration number can be found on the Contact or Imprint pages.
As a general rule, all image material is covered by copyright law. Any use of image material that makes it available to the public requires prior agreement with or licensing from the copyright owner. This licence or agreement must be in place before the image material is published online.
It is the duty of the person publishing the image material to investigate whether the image is covered by copyright and/or requires licensing before it is published to ensure that its publication does not violate or infringe the copyright owner’s rights. Lack of knowledge regarding copyright law is not a defence in these cases.
If an image is published online without a valid licence or agreement with the copyright owner, it is considered a breach of copyright law and the copyright owner is able to seek compensation for the improper use of their work. Visual Rights Group partners with image agencies and professional photographers to make claims for the improper use of our partner’s images.
No. The payment of this claim provides compensation for the infringing use of our partner’s material. It does not represent or provide you with a licence for the continued use of the image. If you do not wish to buy the licence to continue using this image, you must immediately cease the use and distribution of the image in question. Any continued or future use of the image must be licensed correctly.
If you would like to keep using the image legally, your Copyright Advisor will direct you to the copyright owner so that you can obtain the correct licence for the image material.
We refer to our partner’s licensing prices and relevant national legislation on copyright to calculate the compensation claim amount, with specific reference to The Copyright Act 1968 sections 31, 115(2) and 115(4).
No. An agreement or licence is required to be in place prior to the publication of an image online. Publishing the image without these agreements or licences is an automatic infringement of copyright law and, as the infringement has already occurred, the copyright owner is entitled to compensation for the unauthorised use of their material.
You will receive confirmation that the case has been closed as soon as we have registered payment in your case. Please note that payment does not entitle further use of the image on your website. If you have not already done so, you have to remove the image.
It is possible that you may receive future claims from Visual Rights Group relating to the use of other image material on your website. We recommend that all our counterparties, upon receiving a claim from Visual Rights Group, go through their website and remove any image material that is not licensed properly. It is important to note that even if an image has been removed, there is a chance that its unlicensed use may have been documented by our system and we maintain the right to pursue cases based on our documentation.
We understand that websites are often designed and maintained by a contractor outside of your business. However, it is the company that owns the website that is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all published material is in line with copyright laws.
If you are unsure whether the image material has been licensed, we recommend that you contact your website administrator to ensure that they obtained the necessary licence(s). If they have, we kindly ask that you provide the documentation for this.
Visual Rights Group Pty Ltd is a legal-tech company and not a law firm. Visual Rights Group therefore does not give any legal advice and we always recommend our counterparties seek legal counsel if they are unclear about what is being alleged.
The Copyright Advisors that handle the cases do not give legal advice or interpret the law beyond notating the laws in place that surround the Copyright Infringement allegations in each specific case.
