Photo/Video Consent Policy and Guidelines
Policy
Revised February 2026
Pratt Institute’s Communications and Marketing (PCOMM) division provides a range of policies intended to safeguard the Institute’s identity, reputation, and educational mission and to ensure compliance with laws governing Pratt Institute communications.
Image-Use Policy
Pratt Institute is subject to privacy laws that require permission to use images of certain recognizable individuals in our marketing or promotional media. Pratt’s image-use policy establishes standards for the use of these images.
To publish images and/or video in Pratt’s print or digital marketing and promotional media, the Institute, by way of the unit that assigns or supervises the work, must have permission from any individual deemed 1.) recognizable and 2.) the subject of the photograph or video.
When Permission Is Required for Image Use
New York Civil Rights Law § 50 compels Pratt to obtain written consent from an individual prior to utilizing that individual’s name, portrait, picture, likeness, or voice for the purposes of promotion, advertising, or trade.
Permission is required when one or more individuals in the image are identifiable as the subject or focus of the image, and the image may be used for marketing and promotional purposes, such as promoting academic or administrative programs, publicizing upcoming events, raising funds, recruiting, and encouraging attendance or participation. This guideline applies to any image used in publications, emails, websites, and social media.
With these requirements, permission is required for all images with one or more identifiable subjects in order to be used in Pratt Institute print and digital materials.
Image-Use Versus Copyright Protection
Copyright/Intellectual Property
Image-use permission (consent from the person in the photo/video to have their likeness published) is distinct from copyright/intellectual property protection (consent from the copyright or intellectual property holder for use of their artwork, design, or written work).
Works of art, music, presentation slides, and recordings require permission from the creator, presenter, or copyright/intellectual property owner and are governed by a separate policy and guidelines.
Pratt’s Rights
In addition to the above permissions, Pratt Institute must either own the copyright of the still and motion assets we produce for use in our print or digital marketing and promotional media or have an agreement with the photographer/videographer that allows use of the images.
When a freelance photographer/videographer is hired to produce assets for use in Pratt’s print or digital publications, the standard Photography/Videography Agreement must be used and reviewed with Pratt’s legal counsel. This also is governed by separate procedures.
Similarly, any image owned by another (e.g., an image found on the web) cannot be used for marketing or promotional purposes without written consent from the owner of the image.
The Following Guidelines
This policy and the following guidelines only pertain to image-use permissions (consent from the person in the photo/video to have their likeness published).
