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Posts Tagged ‘accuses’

DJI challenges drone plane collision test, accuses researchers of ‘sowing fear’

23 Oct

DJI has challenged a recently published video that demonstrates a small drone smashing into an airplane wing. The test collision was conducted in a simulated environment by researchers with the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) to assess the potential damage such an in-air crash may cause. DJI has accused the test of being “unbalanced, agenda-driven research.”

In a letter sent to UDRI’s group leader for impact physics Kevin Poorman, DJI alleges UDRI’s “Risk in the Sky?” video (below) and related materials present a “collision scenario between a drone and an airplane wing that is simply inconceivable in real life.”

The test collision involved a 952g / 2.1lbs DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter being launched at the wing of a Mooney M20 aircraft. In a blog post about the research, UDRI researchers said the test was intended to “mimic a midair collision of a drone and a commercial transport aircraft at 238 miles per hour…”

DJI has taken issue with that claim, saying the test assumes the Mooney M20 would be flying at its max 200mph / 321kph speed, and that the drone would “apparently” be exceeding its max 33.5mph / 53.9kph speed. “At the altitudes where that plane would conceivably encounter a Phantom drone,” DJI claims, “it would fly less than half as fast – generating less than one-fourth of the collision energy.”

DJI also states:

Your video was created contrary to established U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) crash test parameters, which assume a bird striking an airplane at its sea-level cruising speed —which is typically 161 mph to 184mph for Mooney M20. Your video deliberately created a more damaging scenario, and was widely cited as evidence for what could happen to a large commercial jet —even though the Mooney M20 is a small plane with four seats.

The Chinese drone company has likewise taken issue with the test as a whole, accusing it of having not been “created as part of a legitimate scientific query, with little description of your testing methodology and no disclosure of data generated during the test.” The company accuses the researchers of having a “bias toward sowing fear,” claiming they would have otherwise also shared a video of a simulated bird-plane strike that caused “more apparent damage.”

DJI’s letter demands UDRI “remove the alarmist video,” withdraw the research, and “issue a corrective statement” that proclaims the test to be “invalid.”

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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D500 owner formally accuses Nikon of false advertising

17 Jun

A disgruntled D500 owner has taken out a legal warning against Nikon advertising the camera as offering ‘integrated Wi-Fi.’ In the equivalent of a cease-and-desist order. Andreas V, from Butzbach, Germany says, that the term is misleading, given there are unusual restrictions to using the function.

In the case of the D500, you need to use a compatible Android device with Bluetooth LE and the Snapbridge app to enable Wi-Fi: a restriction that is not commonly shared by other cameras, including Nikon’s own D750 and D7200 models.

The D500 does have integrated Wi-Fi, but you can’t necessarily use it in the way you might expect.

As highlighted in our review, although the D500 does have integrated Wi-Fi, it is distinctly reluctant to make use of it, mainly relying on the low bandwidth ‘Bluetooth LE’ technology for file transfer. At present even this system is available only to users of compatible Android devices, since an iOS app will not be available until later in the year. Unlike the D7200 and D750, there’s no way to directly make use of the camera’s Wi-Fi: it can only be initiated using Bluetooth from the Snapbridge app.

Part of the customer’s complaint was that it was reasonable to assume he’d be able to use his camera in the same manner as he had his D7200, and that the labels on the box indicating compatibility with Apple devices implied the function was already available to users of such devices. He goes on to highlight that it would be possible for Nikon to offer a simpler (and more readily accessible) Wi-Fi system via a firmware update.

The story, first reported in the German magazine Digitale Fotografie, and subsequently on Nikon Rumors, has attracted mixed responses. While there have been plenty of predictable ‘he should have done his research’ comments, there have also been words of support from people who believe Nikon should have made the system’s limitations clearer (or made the Wi-Fi simpler). What do you think?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty accuses Google of anti-competition practices, files complaint in EU

30 Apr
Ian Walton / Getty Images

Getty Images, one of the largest photo agencies in the world, has filed a complaint with the European Union’s Competition Commission because Google won’t budge on making high resolution photographs freely available from its Images search engine. Getty says that as users can see images in high resolution via the results window in Google Images there is no incentive for searchers to click through to the owner’s website. Getty maintains that the practice of showing searched images at high resolution deprives websites of traffic, while also making it easier for Google users to download and use images without paying a license fee to the copyright owner.

In an open letter posted on the Getty Image’s website, the companys General Counsel, Yoko Miyashita, says ‘Our complaint focuses specifically on changes made to Google Images in 2013, which have impacted the competitiveness of our business by siphoning off traffic and promoting piracy – to the detriment of the 200,000 contributors who rely on us to earn a living. On a broader scale, this has impacted the interests of content creators around the world, allowing Google not only to profit from their work, but also to reinforce its role as the internet’s dominant search engine and thus maintain its monopoly power.’

The changes Miyashita mentions, that were made in January 2013, are those which saw Google shift from serving searchers a thumbnail sized image to allowing users to see and download full-sized images. The service even allows users to specify the size of image they want to see. Getty argues ‘Once an image is displayed in high-resolution, large format, it is immediately consumed – there’s very little reason to go see it somewhere else. This format change immediately diverted traffic away from Getty Images, and from the websites of Getty Images’ customers and those of other image creators, deterring users from leaving Google’s platform to engage with content through legitimate sources. This, in turn, negatively impacts content creators’ ability to monetize users’ interest through licensing and advertising, and reduces the level of reinvestment available for the creation of new content.’

Getty says it has been in talks with Google for three years, but that Google’s attitude has been that image creators should either accept the search engine’s terms or opt-out of image search. Getty says it is fighting to protect its interests and those of its contributors, but also to protect the entire image-making industry.

Getty’s complaint is part of a wider investigation of Google by the European Competition Commission in which the search giant faces questions about restrictive practices in the way it serves search results as well as the compulsory apps that come with devices using the Android operating system.

For more information, and to read Yoko Miyashita’s open letter, see the Advocacy page on the Getty Images website. 


Press release:

Getty Images to file competition law complaint against Google

Getty Images, a world leader in visual communications, will today file a competition law complaint against Google Inc. with the European Commission. The complaint follows on from Getty Images’ submission in June 2015, when it joined as an interested third party in support of the European Commission’s existing investigation into Google’s anti-competitive business practices. 

The Commission’s current proceedings against Google are wide-reaching, with Google accused of distorting search results in favour of its own services. This affects a myriad of industries, from media companies like Getty Images, to comparison shopping and travel websites. Just last week, a further set of proceedings were issued against the search engine, to address Google’s business practices around its Android mobile operating system.

Getty Images’ complaint focuses specifically on changes made in 2013 to Google Images, the image search functionality of Google, which has not only impacted Getty Images’ image licensing business, but content creators around the world, by creating captivating galleries of high-resolution, copyrighted content. Because image consumption is immediate, once an image is displayed in high-resolution, large format, there is little impetus to view the image on the original source site. These changes have allowed Google to reinforce its role as the internet’s dominant search engine, maintaining monopoly over site traffic, engagement data and advertising spend. This has also promoted piracy, resulting in widespread copyright infringement, turning users into accidental pirates.

Getty Images’ General Counsel, Yoko Miyashita says: ‘Getty Images represents over 200,000 photojournalists, content creators and artists around the world who rely on us to protect their ability to be compensated for their work. Google’s behavior is adversely affecting not only our contributors, but the lives and livelihoods of artists around the word – present and future. By standing in the way of a fair marketplace for images, Google is threatening innovation, and jeopardizing artists’ ability to fund the creation of important future works. Artists need to earn a living in order to sustain creativity and licensing is paramount to this; however, this cannot happen if Google is siphoning traffic and creating an environment where it can claim the profits from individuals’ creations as its own.’

Miyashita continues: ‘Getty Images believes that images have the power to move the world by spurring action and driving change. It is key that these issues with Google are addressed and that the dominant search engine in Europe leads users to legitimate sources for imagery, rather than creating an environment that benefits Google alone. A fair marketplace will allow photographers to continue to capture the ground-breaking imagery that informs and impacts the world every day.’

Getty Images firmly supports a more image-rich, digital world, but one that recognizes and remunerates the content creators who create this imagery. In 2014, Getty Images launched its embed tool, which revolutionized the visual content industry by making imagery available for easy, legal sharing at no cost for non-commercial use. This embed functionality provides consumers with an easy, legal alternative to the ‘right click,’ an alternative that ensures the content creator is appropriately credited for their work and that the image is clearly traceable to Getty Images in the event that a user wishes to license the image for a commercial purpose.

Visit Where We Stand  to learn more about how Getty Images is working with policy makers and industry groups to defend intellectual property and ensure a fair marketplace for content creators.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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A commerical photographer accuses Taylor Swift of being a hypocrite, Swift’s management company responds

25 Jun

In case you missed it, Taylor Swift, one of the most successful commercial pop stars of all time, recently penned an angry Tumblr post aimed at the soon-to-be-launched streaming service Apple Music. She called for Apple to respect the rights of creatives. However, commercial photographer Jason Sheldon found this statement to be more than a little hypocritical. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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