Showcase is Protecting Copyrights in Real Estate Media
Who Really Owns Your Media? The Hidden Threat in the Industry
In today’s real estate marketing landscape, many platforms and service providers require photographers and agents to upload media through third-party platforms. These platforms—like Aryeo, now owned by Zillow—may request broad license rights to the content once it is uploaded. As an agent, you may not be aware of the full extent of these agreements, even though they can influence how your listing media is used, distributed, and displayed.
🔎 The Fine Print No One Reads
Understanding What Happens When You Use Platforms Like Aryeo
When photographers upload listing images to Aryeo, those images may be subject to terms that grant Aryeo, and potentially its affiliates, a license to use that media broadly in connection with its business. While photographers retain ownership of their work, Aryeo’s Terms of Service (Section 7.3) state:
“You hereby grant the Company a worldwide, non-exclusive, fully paid-up, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, display, transmit and prepare derivative works of your Media […] in any media formats and through any media channels.”
In plain terms: this license gives Aryeo extensive rights to use media submitted through its platform—even if those images were created for a specific client or listing.
What This Means for Agents
If you hire a photographer who uses Aryeo:
You may not be made fully aware of how the platform can use your listing media.
Your images might be used by Aryeo and/or Zillow in ways that extend beyond your original marketing intent (e.g., on third-party websites or promotional channels).
These rights are granted by the photographer, not the agent—but they still impact the media you paid for.
Aryeo’s Privacy Policy further notes that user data (including potentially “deal data” tied to transactions or listing metadata) may be shared with third parties or affiliates.
Only Time Will Tell Where Agents Rights Go
With Showcase, Photographers, YOUR Media Stays in YOUR Control.
Showcase Photographers Takes a Different Approach
We don’t use platforms that require us—or you—to hand over expansive licensing rights. We’ve built our own proprietary system so that:
✔ Our clients retain control over how and where their listing media is used.
✔ Your media is not licensed to third parties by default.
✔ There are no backdoor agreements or surprise usage rights embedded in the fine print.
Why This Is Important for Your Brand and Business
Your listing visuals are some of your most powerful marketing assets. If those visuals are:
Licensed out to third parties,
Used beyond your original scope of work,
Or shared across platforms without your knowledge,
…it can dilute your brand, weaken your negotiating power, and potentially create future confusion over media usage rights.
💡 Stay In Control With All The Moving Parts of Your Business
What To Ask Your Photographer?
Before your next shoot, ask:
Do you use Aryeo or another third-party media delivery platform?
What rights are granted when the media is uploaded?
Can you guarantee that my media won’t be reused or sublicensed without my knowledge?
If they can’t confidently answer—or if the answer includes broad licensing language—it may be time to rethink your media partner.
Showcase Stands for Transparency, Local Control, and Your Rights
We’re proud to serve as a trusted, local photography partner. We’ve developed our own tools and systems to ensure every agent we work with has clear, consistent rights over their visual marketing content.
📸 Protect your listings. Own your media. Choose Showcase.
Showcase vs. SAAS-Dependent Media Companies
Not All Media Companies Are Created Equal
| Feature | Showcase Photographers | SAAS-Dependent Media Companies |
|---|---|---|
| 📜 Copyright Ownership | ✅ 100% ownership retained by agents & photographers | ❌ Photographers retain ownership but grant the platform a broad, perpetual license for use across its services |
| 🚀 Media Usage Rights | ✅ Unlimited, unrestricted use for agents & brokers | ❌ Media may be reused or displayed by the platform beyond the original transaction scope |
| 💡 Custom Branding | ✅ Fully customizable, agent-branded marketing materials | ❌ Limited to templated, platform-controlled branding options |
| 📍 Platform Independence | ✅ Proprietary Showcase platform (My Showcase Listings) for full content control | ❌ Reliant on third-party SAAS systems; media access subject to platform policies |
| 📞 Personalized Support | ✅ U.S.-based, real estate-focused customer support | ❌ Helpdesk and FAQ-based assistance with limited direct support |
| 💰 Transparent Pricing | ✅ No hidden fees or third-party licensing of client content | ❌ Platform may use licensed content in marketing or syndication without additional compensation |
| 📦 Long-Term Control | ✅ Media stays with the agent indefinitely | ❌ Licensed content may be stored and accessed by the platform in perpetuity |
| 🧰 End-to-End Marketing | ✅ Full-service solutions: photography, ads, websites & branding tools | ❌ Primarily focused on media hosting; lacks integrated marketing features |
Introducing SHOWCASE MEDIA LOCK™
Embedded directly into the My Showcase Listings platform, SHOWCASE MEDIA LOCK™ is a proprietary technology designed to put full sharing control in the hands of agents. With this embedded feature:
✔ Agents decide when, where, and with whom their media is shared.
✔ No automatic syndication or third-party transfers without agent approval.
✔ Delivers true ownership and secure control—not just licensing permission.
This is more than a safeguard—it’s a declaration. Showcase Media Lock™ ensures your content stays protected while giving agents the flexibility to manage distribution on their own terms.
Protect Your Business & Your Media
Big tech platforms are rewriting the rules of real estate media without agents and photographers realizing it. Choosing a media company that operates on these platforms means risking ownership, usage rights, and future marketing control.
With Showcase Photographers, your media remains 100% yours—no hidden terms, no licensing traps, and no restrictions.
📢 The choice is clear. Keep full control of your media—choose Showcase.
Legal Disclaimer: The above information is for educational and informational purposes only. We are not attorneys, and this page does not constitute legal advice. For questions about your rights under any licensing agreement, please consult a qualified legal professional.
