You can assert your intellectual property rights by granting a Digital Image License to the individual or company interested in using your images. In exchange for money, you give the buyer permission to use the images in a certain way for a set period of time.
For instance, a wedding photographer may grant a married couple permission to use photos from their shoot for personal reasons. In this case, the couple may display the images on personal platforms indefinitely, as long as the photos remain unaltered and give proper credit to the photographer.
The wedding photographer may also allow a wedding planning business to license these images for use on their website. In this case, the photographer would give the company permission to use the images commercially. The photographer may agree to let the images undergo minor editing, but limits the number of times the business can reproduce them. Keep in mind that the people in the pictures should also give the photographer permission to sell the photos by signing a Model Release.
If someone breaches the Digital Image License agreement or your intellectual property rights, consider sending a Cease and Desist Letter to notify them of the problem. If they don’t comply with your requests, you can take legal action against them.