Image Licences & Usage Rights
An image licence is permission to use someone else's photograph or illustration to a defined extent. Under Austrian copyright law the author may grant either a simple permission to use the work or an exclusive right of use; the scope follows from the contract, not from the price paid.
In practice
Settle four points in writing for every image: which channels, which territory, which period, and whether editing and passing the file on are permitted. The most common mistake is later using an image licensed for the website on a poster or in an advertisement, which is often not covered and is routinely traced. With stock images, also check for editorial-use restrictions and whether depicted people and brands are cleared for advertising. Keep a simple register of file, source, licence and expiry date, because if a use is challenged the licence is your defence and you have to be able to evidence it. For commissioned photography, the scope of the grant of rights belongs expressly in the contract. Where it is missing, in case of doubt only what the evident purpose of the commission requires is granted, and any later use beyond that rests on uncertain ground.