Bettmann does not usually hold the copyright to images donated to the collection, nor does it have copyright filings nor a copyright notice on any of their work before 1978. Getty does not hold the copyright to most, if any of their photos, a statement backed up by numerous lawsuits and court rulings.

A copyright notice can be defined by the following criteria: 1. The symbol © (the letter C in a circle), or the word "Copyright" or the abbreviation "Copr.";