We were contacted last week by Saints media manager in relation to images used on the site and through our photography suppliers we were asked to remove 'head & shoulders' images to which the club holds the copyright.
We had obtained the images through a commercial contract with our photography supplier who was under the impression that there was no issue with 'media' such as ourselves using the images (in fact, such use is authorised under the RFL accredited photographers contract), indeed I understand that he had paid the photographer for the images on that understanding.
Saints do not run a 'media day' so it is impossible for our photographers to get their own set of 'Head & Shoulders' images for us to use on the site. St. Helens is a 'closed shop' in relation to these kinds of images.
In our opinion our use of the images help to increase the profile of the players and the club, and give the club sponsors additional exposure through the most visited rugby league website in the World.
Saints have forbidden us from using them. We removed them to spare the embarrassment of our photography supplier and to avoid any legal action from Saints.
There are a number of restrictions on photographing and using player images, particularly inside grounds, and you would need to investigate these before publishing any such image on the internet. This is why we pay for a contract with am RFL accredited photographer.