Content, Copyright & Editorial Policy

1. Purpose, Scope and Status

This Policy establishes the content governance standards of Eleven One Media LLC ("Eleven One Media", "we", "us" or "the Agency"). It applies to content created, submitted, commissioned, hosted, distributed, licensed, published or otherwise handled through Eleven One Media, including photographs, video, audio, text, graphics, captions, metadata and related editorial materials.

It applies to staff, photographers, photojournalists, journalists, videographers, correspondents, freelancers, contributors, editors, contractors and other persons supplying or handling content for the Agency. Clients and licensees remain subject to the applicable Licence Information, Customer Licence Agreement and Terms & Conditions.

This Policy should be read together with Eleven One Media’s Legal Notice, Terms & Conditions, Licence Information, Privacy Policy, Contributor Policy, Accreditation & Representation Policy, and Editorial Standards & Code of Conduct. If a specific written agreement imposes stricter requirements, the stricter requirement applies.

2. Copyright and Intellectual Property

Copyright and related rights in content are determined by applicable law and by the relevant contributor, assignment, employment, commissioning or licensing agreement. Uploading content to Eleven One Media does not, by itself, transfer ownership unless a written agreement expressly provides otherwise.

Each contributor must have the legal right and authority to submit the content and to grant Eleven One Media the rights stated in the applicable agreement. A contributor must not submit content copied, scraped, downloaded or otherwise obtained from another person, platform, agency, broadcaster, social-media account or AI system without a lawful basis and the rights required for the intended use.

• The creator or rightsholder retains rights not expressly transferred or licensed by written agreement.
• Eleven One Media may receive distribution, sublicensing, archival, promotional and commercialisation rights as stated in the applicable contributor or commissioning agreement.
• The Eleven One Media name, logos, trademarks, website, platform design, databases, curated collections and proprietary systems remain protected assets of Eleven One Media or their respective licensors.
• Clients acquire only the usage rights expressly stated in the applicable licence. Purchase or download of a file does not transfer copyright ownership.
• Moral rights, attribution rights and similar author rights will be respected to the extent required by applicable law and contract.

3. Editorial Use, Commercial Use and Rights Clearance

Eleven One Media distinguishes editorial use from advertising, promotional, merchandising, endorsement and other commercial uses. Content that may lawfully be distributed for editorial reporting is not automatically cleared for commercial use.

Where a person, private property, artwork, trademark, performance, venue, event or other protected subject appears in content, the required permissions may differ according to the nature of the use, the place of capture, contractual restrictions, event rules and applicable law.

• Contributors must disclose whether model releases, property releases or other permissions exist and must provide them when requested.
• No contributor may falsely state that a release, accreditation, consent or permission exists.
• Content identified as "Editorial Use Only" must not be offered or represented as cleared for advertising, endorsement or promotional use without additional review and written approval.
• A public event, public figure or newsworthy context may affect the lawful basis for editorial publication, but does not automatically create unrestricted commercial-use rights.

4. Content Submission Standards

Submitted content must meet the Agency’s technical, legal and editorial standards. Submission does not guarantee acceptance, publication, distribution, licensing, accreditation eligibility or payment.

Unless Eleven One Media provides different assignment-specific instructions, contributors must comply with the following minimum standards:

• Submit original, authentic files of professional editorial quality and retain original camera/source files where technically possible.
• Provide accurate captions, date, location, event, subject identification, photographer/author credit and other requested metadata.
• Clearly distinguish photographed facts from estimates, allegations, opinions or unverified information.
• Do not submit materially duplicated frames, misleading composites, screenshots of third-party content, stolen content or content containing another agency’s watermark.
• Do not remove, conceal or falsify metadata in order to misrepresent authorship, time, location, camera origin or editing history.
• Disclose material restrictions, embargoes, pool conditions, event rules, exclusivities, rights limitations or legal concerns known to the contributor.
• Preserve a reasonable chain of provenance for sensitive or high-risk material when requested by the Agency.

5. Captions, Metadata and Verification

Captions and metadata are editorial content. They must be treated with the same accuracy standards as a published article or report. Names, titles, team names, locations, dates, scores, event names and contextual statements must be verified before submission whenever reasonably possible.

• Never identify a person by guesswork when misidentification could cause harm.
• Do not present allegations as established facts.
• Where uncertainty remains, use transparent wording and alert the editorial team.
• For staged, posed, handout, pool, file, archival or illustrative material, use an appropriate disclosure in the caption or metadata.
• When a caption is corrected after publication, Eleven One Media may update the content record and notify downstream clients where the correction is material.

6. Image, Video and Audio Editing

Technical editing is permitted only to the extent that it does not materially change the meaning of an editorial scene. Routine adjustments such as reasonable exposure, white balance, colour correction, noise reduction, sharpening, cropping and tonal adjustments may be acceptable when they preserve the factual integrity of the content.

The following are prohibited for documentary or editorial content unless the result is clearly designated as an illustration, creative work or otherwise approved for a non-documentary purpose:

• Adding, removing, moving or materially altering people, objects, signs, weapons, smoke, crowds, logos, clothing, documents or other scene elements.
• Combining moments from different frames or events in a way that appears to depict one authentic moment.
• Changing words, numbers, scores, documents, screens, banners, placards or other factual visual information.
• Manipulating audio or video to change the apparent words, conduct, sequence or context of a person or event.
• Using beauty, body, face or generative retouching in news/editorial imagery when it changes the authentic appearance in a material way.

7. Artificial Intelligence and Synthetic Media

Eleven One Media distinguishes between assistive AI used in internal workflows and synthetic or generative AI that creates or materially changes editorial content. The Agency’s default rule is that generative systems must not be used to fabricate documentary evidence or to create content presented as an authentic record of a real event.

• AI-generated or deepfake imagery, video or audio must not be submitted as genuine documentary material.
• Generative fill, object generation, face replacement, scene extension or synthetic reconstruction is prohibited in documentary/editorial files unless expressly approved and clearly labelled as an illustration or synthetic content.
• AI may assist with translation, transcription, tagging, search, caption drafting or workflow automation only with appropriate human review. The contributor or editor remains responsible for accuracy.
• No confidential source material, unpublished assignments, private personal data, embargoed content or restricted client material may be uploaded into external AI systems unless expressly authorised and appropriately protected.
• Training, fine-tuning or creating datasets from Eleven One Media content requires explicit written authorisation from the relevant rights holder(s) and Eleven One Media where applicable.

8. Sensitive, Graphic and High-Risk Content

Eleven One Media may cover war, conflict, terrorism, disasters, accidents, crime, death, injury, protests, political events, vulnerable persons and other matters of legitimate public interest. Such content requires heightened editorial judgment, verification and respect for human dignity.

• Avoid gratuitous, humiliating or voyeuristic treatment of death, injury, grief or private suffering.
• Graphic content should be published only where there is a legitimate editorial justification and with appropriate warnings or access controls when suitable.
• Extra care is required when identifying victims, minors, survivors of sexual violence, hostages, persons at risk of retaliation, confidential sources and persons whose disclosure could create foreseeable harm.
• Do not stage, provoke or interfere with events in order to create stronger images or footage.
• Do not pay bribes, unlawfully access restricted areas, impersonate officials or misrepresent identity or authority to obtain content.
• For political, conflict, security or public-order content, contributors must follow applicable laws, organiser rules and Eleven One Media assignment instructions.

9. Children and Vulnerable Persons

The privacy, dignity, safety and best interests of children and vulnerable persons require particular care. A lawful ability to capture or publish an image does not eliminate the need for editorial judgment about foreseeable harm.

• Avoid unnecessary identification of children in sensitive contexts such as crime, abuse, medical treatment, family disputes or exploitation.
• Do not manipulate or pressure a child or vulnerable person to obtain a statement or image.
• Where consent is appropriate or legally required, obtain it from the person legally authorised to provide it and retain evidence where requested.

10. Corrections, Complaints and Takedown Requests

Eleven One Media maintains a process for receiving and reviewing credible complaints concerning factual accuracy, privacy, copyright, ownership, impersonation, misidentification, unlawful content or other material concerns.

A complaint or takedown request does not automatically require removal. The Agency will assess the request against applicable law, contractual rights, editorial public interest, safety, evidence and the rights of affected parties.

Depending on the circumstances, Eleven One Media may:

• correct a caption, credit, date, location or metadata field;
• add a clarification, warning, restriction or rights note;
• temporarily suspend distribution while reviewing the matter;
• restrict commercial licensing while retaining editorial availability;
• remove or disable content where required by law, contract, valid rights claim or editorial decision;
• notify contributors, clients, distributors, platforms or authorities where appropriate and lawful; or
• decline a request where the material is lawful, accurate and supported by legitimate editorial/public-interest grounds.

11. Copyright Complaints and Ownership Disputes

A person claiming that content infringes copyright or related rights should provide sufficient information to identify the work, the allegedly infringing material, the claimant’s identity and authority, the basis of the claim and reliable contact details. Eleven One Media may request additional documents before taking action.

Knowingly false claims, fabricated ownership documents, false authorship assertions or abusive takedown requests may be rejected and may result in account restrictions or other action.

For content distributed or hosted through U.S.-based services, Eleven One Media may apply relevant U.S. copyright notice-and-takedown procedures where legally applicable, in addition to contractual and local-law processes.

12. Contributor Responsibilities and Enforcement

Contributors are responsible for the authenticity, lawful origin and accuracy of the content they submit, subject to the terms of their agreement with Eleven One Media. They must cooperate promptly with reasonable verification, rights, correction or legal inquiries.

Violations may result in one or more of the following, depending on seriousness and recurrence:

• content rejection or removal;
• correction requirements or retraining;
• temporary loss of upload or accreditation eligibility;
• account suspension or termination;
• withholding or adjustment of amounts where contractually and legally permitted;
• notification to clients, event organisers, rights holders or authorities where appropriate; and
• legal action or recovery of losses where permitted by law and contract.

Fraudulent accreditation, deliberate copyright theft, deliberate falsification of documentary content, impersonation of Eleven One Media, or knowing submission of fabricated/deepfake editorial evidence may justify immediate suspension pending investigation.

13. Client and Licensee Responsibilities

Clients and licensees must use content only within the scope of the licence purchased or granted. They are responsible for obtaining additional permissions needed for uses outside that scope, including advertising, endorsement, merchandising, defamation/privacy-sensitive uses or other contexts requiring separate clearance.

• Credits must be displayed where required by the licence, metadata or applicable industry practice.
• Content must not be altered in a deceptive or defamatory manner or used in a context that falsely implies endorsement.
• Editorial restrictions, embargoes, rights notes and territory/use limitations must be respected.
• Clients must not resell, redistribute, scrape, create competing libraries from, or use Eleven One Media content for AI training unless expressly authorised in writing.

14. Editorial Decision-Making and Escalation

Routine editorial decisions may be handled by authorised editors. Matters involving significant legal risk, public safety, national security, children, graphic death, major political sensitivity, credible copyright disputes, synthetic-media concerns or potential substantial reputational harm should be escalated to senior management and, where appropriate, legal counsel before publication or continued distribution.

Eleven One Media may impose assignment-specific rules that are stricter than this Policy. Contributors must follow those instructions.

15. Legal Framework and International Operations

Eleven One Media LLC is incorporated and registered in the Qatar Financial Centre, Doha, State of Qatar. This Policy is intended to operate consistently with applicable QFC requirements, relevant laws of the State of Qatar, contractual obligations, and mandatory rules applicable to Eleven One Media’s international operations, including relevant U.S. requirements where applicable.

Nothing in this Policy creates a right to publish, distribute or license content where doing so would violate applicable law, a court order, binding event condition, contractual restriction or a valid third-party right. Where laws differ between jurisdictions, Eleven One Media may apply the stricter standard or restrict availability by territory or use.

16. Policy Administration and Updates

Eleven One Media may amend this Policy to reflect changes in law, technology, editorial practice, platform capabilities, market expansion or Agency standards. Material changes may be communicated through the platform, contributor channels, contractual notices or other appropriate means.

Contributors and relevant personnel are expected to review and comply with the current version applicable to their work.

17. Contact and Reporting

Questions, complaints, copyright notices, correction requests and content-governance concerns should be submitted through the official contact channels published by Eleven One Media at elevenone.media. Sensitive or urgent editorial matters should be escalated through the internal channel designated by the Agency.

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