AFP has appointed PicRights and their partner law firms to protect the Agency's intellectual property rights and combat the unauthorised use of its photographs. 

As online communication services and social media platforms continue to expand, AFP faces widespread, unauthorised usage of its news content, often without permission or compensation.

Since 2017, AFP has enlisted the services of PicRights, a company specialising in protecting photographs from unauthorised use, along with its partner law firms, to safeguard AFP’s copyright — an essential part of its assets. 

Upholding these copyright protections against the unauthorised use of AFP’s photographs online is essential to support the Agency's journalistic mission. The unlawful exploitation of our content undermines our ability to fund our global news network and ensure the continuous, real-time distribution of reliable information.

AFP operates in 150 countries, with editorial teams based in 260 offices worldwide. Tasked with collecting, verifying, cross-checking, and distributing accurate news coverage, AFP produces more than 3,000 photographs daily. With each image, our photographers and editorial teams work to capture the defining moment of an event, document the facts across all areas of current affairs, and bring them to public attention — often under challenging conditions. 

Thousands of media organisations, businesses, and institutions worldwide use AFP’s photographs and other content legally, recognising their value and the investment behind their creation. 

If you have been contacted by: 

• PicRights – you may respond via the PicRights website using the reference number provided.
• A law firm appointed by PicRights – you may address the claim directly with them.

Ours Partners:   

PicRights Europe GmbH, registered at Unterdorfstrasse 12, 8808 Pfäffikon SZ, Switzerland (Registration: CHE-113.587.667), operates in Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. PicRights Europe GmbH collaborates with the law firms Legi-Art and Reynal-Perret in France.   

PicRights International Inc., registered at Hudson Bay Centre, 2 Bloor St. East, Suite 3500, Toronto, ON M4W 1A8, Canada (Registration: 11557297), operates in Canada and the United States. PicRights International Inc. works with the law firm Higbee & Associates. 

  
PicRights UK Limited, registered at 133 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QA, United Kingdom (Registration: 13028003), operates in England. PicRights UK works with the law firm Burness Paull.