October 27, 2026, 6:58 am | Read time: 2 minutes
An older photo on Facebook, Instagram, or your own website can lead to a warning and become unexpectedly expensive. The photo agency Blickwinkel pursues allegedly unlicensed photo uses and sometimes demands several thousand euros.
How a photo can lead to a demand of nearly 3,000 euros
As IT law specialist attorney Christian Solmecke reports, Blickwinkel claims to hold exclusive usage rights for the images it distributes. If such images are published without the appropriate license, the Hamburg law firm Westermann & Scholl pursues copyright infringements. Older posts, blog entries, or forgotten subpages can also be targeted.
In a documented case, the law firm demanded a total of 2,887.03 euros for a single photo. Even long-past publications can still be discovered.
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Why deleting alone is not enough
Those who receive a warning should remove the affected photo, advises Solmecke. However, this does not automatically resolve the issue: After a copyright infringement, there may also be a demand to refrain from future use.
Special caution is advised with an attached cease-and-desist declaration. It may include an acknowledgment of payment demands or fixed contractual penalties. If the same image reappears later, such as in a forgotten archive, further costs could arise. Affected individuals should take deadlines seriously but not sign a pre-formulated declaration without review. Instead, a legally adjusted, so-called modified cease-and-desist declaration is possible.
Why reviewing the demand can be worthwhile
The amount of damages demanded is not automatically justified. In a previous case, the Federal Court of Justice confirmed only 100 euros each for the use and the omitted copyright notice for a simple photo. However, this decision cannot be generally applied to other cases.
Actual license prices, duration of use, and reach can be decisive factors. Legal fees should also be scrutinized. For private individuals, a statutory limitation on the value of the claim may apply under certain conditions.