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FAQ category: Film Libraries

As a minimum, we would always suggest that a film library has professional indemnity insurance.

When a film library holds such a huge collection of footage, it’s incredibly difficult to ever be 100% sure on the origin, authenticity and clearances obtained for any clip. Unless one person has personally created all the footage, which is not the case for most large film libraries which have hundreds of contributors.

If a film library has employees, it also crucial that you have liability insurance to comply with the law. More often than not, libraries are also considering cyber insurance to protect from hacker attacks on their database and collection. In addition, if you have an office you may wish to insure the office, computers laptops etc.

Things go wrong, that’s life.

We have seen some quirky claims against film libraires in the last few years. Some practical examples –

  • Allegations a prop was an antique designer item, that required clearance from the designer’s estate.
  • Allegations clearances were not obtained on a model.
  • A cyber attack on a library which compromised their database.

A professional indemnity policy is designed to protect against any errors & omissions that may be made, and includes extensions that are very important for image libraries. These include infringement of intellectual property rights including copyright infringement, or importantly for film libraries, a breach of licence extension.

We would always recommend professional indemnity. We are seeing an increase in claims relating to copyright and intellectual property. It’s very easy for a third party to bring an allegation of negligence or breach of intellectual property, even if the grounds for doing so are unfounded. Professional indemnity would provide a legal defence in such instances.

Recent changes to section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CPDA) has also increased the onus on film libraries to ensure all items and props in an image are not subject to copyright and do not require clearance.

Public liability will protect you in cases of bodily injury or property damage associated with an incident involving your business.

Employers’ liability will protect you from legal costs should an employee sustain a bodily injury in the course of their employment.

You will need to take out Employers Liability if you have an employee. The creative industry is unique, in terms of the prevalence of freelancers. We are very cautious when it comes to employers’ liability. If you employ an extra pair of hands for a short period of time, such as assistants, we would highly recommend that you always maintain employers’ liability. Freelancers would then be covered in the same ways as employees whilst working under your supervision and control.

You will need to take out Employers Liability if you have an employee. The creative industry is unique, in terms of the prevalence of freelancers. We are very cautious when it comes to Employers’ Liability. If you employ an extra pair of hands for a short period of time, such as assistants, we would highly recommend that you always maintain employers’ liability. Freelancers would then be covered in the same ways as employees whilst working under your supervision and control.

All our quotes are personalised, and the premium is typically linked to the size of the business (often revenue). Policies can start from as little as £500 for very small collection and film libraries.

Yes, you can make changes by either calling the office or sending an email.

We do not charge Administration fees. However, an increase in cover may result in an additional premium due.

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