Media Policy

Exclusive Media Rights

USA Powerlifting retains exclusive media rights (including, but not limited to, rights in broadcast, cable, audio, home video, Internet, or such other recordings, accounts, or descriptions, now known or hereafter devised) to all events.  The use, account, description, picture, photograph, video, audio, reproduction, or other information acquired at USA Powerlifting venues is strictly prohibited. News coverage (defined as the description or depiction of newsworthy events or information) is encouraged, with written approval from USA Powerlifting. No person shall use any content described above in any commercial manner, except with the prior written consent of USA Powerlifting.

MEDIA REQUEST FORM

Media Rights and Responsibilities

As a participant in USA Powerlifting or a member of the media, you must be aware of your rights and responsibilities. USA Powerlifting is committed to preserving the image, branding, and reputation of the organization. To that end, we ask all participants, including members of the media, to exercise and respect certain rights and responsibilities. Below you will find the following important information:

  • Personal vs. Professional Use
  • Photo & Video Rights and Responsibilities
  • Professional Media Use Rights and Responsibilities
  • USA Powerlifting Commercial Filming Policy
  • Media & Press FAQ

Personal vs. Professional Use

With USA Powerlifting, “Professional Use Media” is used to describe any media project that is intended for public distribution beyond your own personal use as described under Personal Use Media.

Personal Use Media:

Athletes are welcome to use photos, videos, and audio recordings obtained at the event for their personal use which include:

  • Sharing with your friends and personal social media networks.
  • Displaying on personal websites- as long as the websites do not sell any products or services, and do not pretend or appear to be an official USA Powerlifting website.
  • Posting to your personal accounts on photo-sharing sites such as Flickr, Instagram, YouTube, and Tumblr- as long as the posts are not commercial in any manner and the accounts are not used for purposeful promotion. You may not directly monetize any media through paywalls or advertisements.

Even if your images and videos are for Personal Use, you must read, understand, and follow the Photo & Video Rights and Responsibilities. Every athlete and spectator, taking images and/or video, has a responsibility to be respectful to the community and its members!

Note – Professional Use Media may have exclusive rights to cover USA Powerlifting events.  In such cases, such as National level events, personal use photos and videos will be limited to capture with smartphones.

Professional Use Media:

If you wish to use any photo, video, or audio from the event for any non-personal use, you must apply as a Professional Use Media for any USA Powerlifting event. We require this registration process to protect the privacy and other rights of participants and to prevent commercial exploitation of USA Powerlifting and its athletes.

Non-personal use includes:

  • Publishing photos in a printed or online book, magazine, or newspaper.
  • Using the footage in a professional quality video.
  • Displaying images on a non-personal website or in a gallery show.
  • Using imagery in a documentary or TV show.
  • Distributing media to any third party, group, or publication. This includes offering photos for publication or making any commercial or promotional use of event media.

A general rule of thumb for whether a use is non-personal: Is the event imagery being used for financial gain, OR being widely distributed beyond your personal network of friends and family? If either of these is true, please complete the Media Request Form.  You are also responsible for obtaining clear and informed consent from the subjects in your photos. If your image violates the privacy or other rights of another participant, you should not display it in any public manner. If you did not pre-register as a professional shooter at the event, you may apply for permission later if someone else wishes to make non-personal use of your images. But you must obtain our written permission before the use is made.

Photo & Video Rights and Responsibilities

  • You have the right to express yourself and create art as a photographer, videographer, and/or audio artist.
  • Unless you have prior written permission from USA Powerlifting, you may only use photos, videos, or audio obtained at the event for your own personal use.
  • You are responsible for respecting the participants you wish to record and seeking their permission before photographing or filming them. If you are asked to stop filming, you must do so immediately. You have the responsibility not to interfere with the immediate experience of other participants.
  • The USA Powerlifting logo and the phrase USA Powerlifting, as well as other key infrastructure,  are protected by trademark and/or copyright law. In keeping with the principle of decommodification, these trademarks and copyrights may not be used for commercial or third-party purposes without USA Powerlifting’s written consent. Click here for more information on USA Powerlifting’s approach to intellectual property.

Professional Use Rights and Responsibilities

  • Anyone who plans to shoot video or photography at any USA Powerlifting event for non-personal use must apply with USA Powerlifting before photographing or filming and sign a professional use contract. “Non-personal use” means any use that is commercial and/or widely distributed beyond one’s personal network of family and friends.
  • All members of the media- and anyone else who plans to make non-personal use of event imagery- must check in with the meet director upon arriving at a USA Powerlifting event.
  • If you fail to register or receive approval for your project, but you record event imagery for your project anyway, you are trespassing. Trespassers have no rights to use any event imagery, and USA Powerlifting reserves the right to take any necessary action against trespassers.
  • Professional use contracts are required to sell any imagery from any USA Powerlifting event. We do not permit online sales or the sale or distribution of photos or videos via stock agencies.
  • Before professional use contract holders can publish any event imagery, they must obtain written permission from an authorized staff of USA Powerlifting. Such written permission may be subject to restrictions, including granting USA Powerlifting license to display your imagery in USA Powerlifting communications.
  • USA Powerlifting forbids making a profit from the documentation of nudity at any event without the express written permission of the subjects and USA Powerlifting.
  • You must use model release for all recognizable individuals. We may ask for verification of these releases before granting permission to use an image or footage commercially.

USA Powerlifting Commercial Filming Policy

USA Powerlifting supports the creation of video content for the purposes of documentation and creative self-expression. If you intend to film any USA Powerlifting event, you must apply and make sure your project is in line with USA Powerlifting’s Code of Conduct policies.

To learn more about USA Powerlifting policies, please review the following pages:

Media & Press FAQ

What can I do with my photos or footage from a USA Powerlifting event?

  • You can share them with your friends, family, and other lifters. You can post them on your personal website or on your personal social networks, such as Flickr and Facebook. You can show them at a private party. You cannot post event photos or footage on a commercial website-including a business or social network account- or a self-promotional portfolio website, nor can you sell them or place them on products for sale, such as prints or t-shirts.

If you want to share your imagery beyond your immediate network or with large audiences or use imagery professionally (such as editorially or in a book or film project), you will need to request permission with USA Powerlifting by use of the Media Request form.

Some common examples:

  • Selling or licensing images captured at a USA Powerlifting event, or objects including such images-NOT OK!
  • Posting images from a USA Powerlifting event on a USA Powerlifting Facebook account or website-OK!

What can I do if someone uses my media or a picture of me without my permission?

  • The USA Powerlifting is here to help you. The best thing to do is to first contact the site or organization yourself and let them know that either your copyrighted work is being used without your permission or an image of you is being used without consent and violates the USA Powerlifting Media Policy. If that does not work or you do not get a response, you can contact logo@usapowerlifting.com with a link and information about the use of media. From there, USA Powerlifting can assist you through a number of avenues, including reaching out to the site or organization with a comprehensive explanation of our media policy.

How can USA Powerlifting regulate media from an event?

  • Joining USA Powerlifting constitutes legal acceptance of USA Powerlifting’s Photograph/Media Release, including use of images in forms of media. USA Powerlifting has the right to authorize or deny any photography, videography, or audio recording at the event, and to require- as a condition of entry into the event that USA Powerlifting’s permission be obtained prior to making certain uses of the resulting images or footage. The Photo & Video Rights and Responsibilities apply to both personal and professional use of event imagery- regardless of who is recording and why the expectation of respect for the privacy and other rights of participants and athletes remains the same.

Does USA Powerlifting own my photos/videos/audio?

  • USA Powerlifting copyright ownership of USA Powerlifting events and only for very specific reasons. The Photograph/Media Release provides that ownership so that USA Powerlifting has the ability to use images or video you may be in without permission or without giving you credit for purposes of promotion of USA Powerlifting.

Will I be filmed while at USA Powerlifting event? Don’t they need my permission?

  • By entering a USA Powerlifting event, you agree to the possibility of being filmed once there. In addition, professionals have a binding agreement with USA Powerlifting to get case-by-case approval for anything they shoot before it is used commercially. For example, we do not approve pictures of nudity where the subject appears unaware of the camera.

What if someone loves my personal photos or footage and suggests I enter a contest/gallery showing or asks if they can use my imagery on a website?

  • You may contact USA Powerlifting to seek approval for these uses by completing the Media Request Form.

Questions or concerns please contact:

Logo Approval Team
logo@usapowerlifting.com