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Posts Tagged ‘Getty’

Getty Images is phasing out rights-managed ‘creative images’ in favor of royalty free content

07 Nov

Getty Images has announced that in an effort to streamline the complexities of imaging licensing it will be phasing out rights-managed content in favor of royalty-free imagery for its creative image submissions.

According to the blog post, Getty Images will move to a royalty-free-only creative images offer ‘during 2020,’ with no specific date mentioned. Once the transition goes into effect, image buyers will only see royalty-free creative images.

In the meantime, Getty Images is in the process of a ‘phased retirement’ of rights-managed creative images. To kick off the transition, Getty Images contributors can no longer submit new rights-managed creative images to GettyImages.com (as of November 6, 2019) and by the end of January 2020, all rights-managed images will ‘be removed from single image licensing (sometimes called à la carte) on GettyImages.com.’

After being removed from the single image licensing option, photographers ‘will be able to distribute [their] RM images as [they] wish, with the exception that [they] must not license any rights-managed images (or similar) in a way that conflicts with any active, unexpired exclusive licenses.

A screenshot of the Getty Images creative content search with the search inquiry ‘mirrorless camera.’

Getty Images says in the announcement it’s ’confidently concluded that the [rights-managed] creative image licensing model no longer meets our [buyers] needs’ following ‘extensive customer research and testing on royalty-free versus rights?managed [content].’

Getty backs up these claims in an FAQ section at the bottom of the article, titled ‘What evidence do you have for customers rejecting rights?managed?’ saying it’s seen a steady ‘year?over?year decline in Creative [rights-managed] à la carte licenses over the last five years, with declines accelerating over time.

Without seeing the data Getty Images is referencing, it’s difficult to confirm or dispel its reasoning for the transition. The move to royalty-free licensing for creative images gives photographers less control over how their images are used, but should simplify the process for buyers, which in turn could make it more likely their photographs are licensed. Getty Images says ‘Licensing complexity has only led [image buyers] to other content, and in many cases, another provider as the broader industry is now essentially a royalty-free?only model.

Rights-managed licensing will still be available for Getty Images editorial stills and rights-ready video content, so for the time being it’s only creative images that are affected. If you currently have creative images submitted for inspection, Getty addresses how those images will be handled in the FAQ in the announcement post.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images sued over ‘deceptive’ licensing public domain images

03 Apr

CixxFive Concepts, a digital marketing company based in Dallas, Texas, has filed a class action lawsuit against Getty Images over its alleged licensing of public domain images. The complaint, which was first reported by TechDirt, accuses Getty of violating RICO and the Washington Consumer Protection Act, among ‘other claims.’

The lawsuit, embedded below, alleges Getty Images has been…

…fraudulently claiming ownership of copyrights in public domain images (which no one owns) and selling fictitious copyright licenses for public domain images (which no one can legally sell), including operating an enterprise of third-party contributors to perpetrate this egregious scheme.

Though CixxFive acknowledges that it is not illegal to sell public domain images, the company alleges that Getty’s ‘conduct goes much further than this,’ claiming it has utilized ‘a number of different deceptive techniques’ in order to ‘mislead’ its customers — and potential future customers — into thinking the company owns the copyrights of all images it sells.

The alleged actions, the lawsuit claims, ‘purport to restrict the use of the public domain images to a limited time, place, and/or purpose, and purport to guarantee exclusivity in the use of public domain images.’ The lawsuit also claims Getty has created ‘a hostile environment for lawful users of public domain images’ by allegedly sending them letters, via its License Compliance Services (LCS) subsidiary, accusing them of copyright infringement.

In listing examples of Getty’s allegedly deceptive actions, the lawsuit states:

One aspect of the deceptive nature of Getty’s and/or Getty US’s licensing scheme is that Getty and/or Getty US claims copyright on all of the content on its website. For example, the bottom of each page of its website states: “All contents © copyright 1999-2019 Getty Images. All rights reserved.”

Also, specific public domain images are overlaid on Getty and/or Getty US’s website with the © symbol followed by an entity or contributor name, indicating that the image is protected by copyright. The same © symbol and information is also provided next to the public domain image.

CixxFive claims it has licensed public domain images from Getty, pointing to two images specifically that are available for free from the Library of Congress and NASA. The lawsuit claims that Getty’s licensing of public domain images has ‘injured CixxFive and the public, and will continue to do so unless brought to a halt by this court.’

It’s doubtful CixxFive will prevail in its lawsuit against Getty, as it’s legally allowed to sell public domain images, as unethical as it may be. Getty has previously won two past lawsuits related to image licensing: one from photographer Carol Highsmith filed in July 2016 and another from press agency and wire service Zuma in August 2016.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty family strikes deal for majority stake in Getty Images

11 Sep

The Getty family is working to regain control of stock photo agency Getty Images, according to multiple reports published late last week. Sources claimed to Financial Times that the Getty family is working to buy back Carlyle Group’s 51% equity stake, which it acquired six years ago.

Though the terms of the deal haven’t been officially revealed, FT claims the Getty family is paying approximately $ 250 million with about $ 2.35 billion in existing debt rolling over. This is compared to the approx. $ 500 million that Carlyle Group paid years ago to acquire the majority stake.

On September 4, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Getty family confirmed a deal including both cash and “units that provide Carlyle with a continuing financial interest.” However, specific terms for the arrangement weren’t disclosed. The family confirmed to WSJ that the deal is expected to close by the end of Q3 2018.

Via: Financial Times

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google strikes deal with Getty, will remove direct image links from search

13 Feb

Getty Images has announced a licensing deal with Google that resolves a 2016 lawsuit filed by the photo agency against the Internet giant. The lawsuit accused Google of “promoting piracy” by linking to high-resolution copyrighted images without watermarks, enabling anyone to save and use the images without paying the related fee.

At the heart of the issue was Google Image Search, and how it directly links to high-resolution images found in articles and other online destinations. Because the high-resolution images could be readily found on Google Images, users had little motivation to hunt down the proper image source. This resulted in many “accidental pirates” infringing image copyrights, the lawsuit claims.

To settle the matter, Getty and Google have jointly announced a new multi-year agreement last week, with Getty’s CEO Dawn Airey explaining that Getty “will license our market leading content to Google, working closely with them to improve attribution of our contributors’ work and thereby growing the ecosystem.” That, unfortunately, is as far as official details go.

Fortunately, The Verge elaborated on the agreement, reporting that Google will start removing direct links to image URLs and more prominently displaying copyright disclaimer—good news for all photographers and photo agencies, assuming this practice will go beyond images licensed by Getty.

Getty Images has formally withdrawn its legal complaint against Google.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images bans Photoshopping models to look thinner thanks to French law

27 Sep

In 2015, France passed a law that will require some commercial images with a digitally retouched model to have a label notifying viewers about the alterations. That requirement will be effective starting October 1st, 2017, and Getty Images is preparing for that day with a policy change of its own.

Announced in an email that DPReview has acquired from a reader, Getty has updated its Creative Stills Submission Requirements to specify that it will no longer accept images of models whose bodies have been edited to look either thinner or larger.

The law doesn’t extend to minor digital edits, such as fixing skin blemishes, altering hair color, or altering nose shape; however, edits that change a model’s body shape require a disclosure. In response, Getty Images says that starting October 1st, photographers may not “submit to us any creative content depicting models whose body shapes have been retouched to make them look thinner or larger.”

Submitting this type of altered image will result in the photographer breaching both submission guidelines and their agreement with the company, Getty warns. The same change applies to iStock submissions, as well.

Magazines and other entities in France that use these altered photos without proper disclosure face a fine of up to €37,500 (~$ 45,000 USD).


DPReview has reached out to Getty Images for comment on the policy change, as well as clarification about how broad this change is, and what the company intends to do about the altered images already in its catalog. We will update the post if and when we hear back.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images and Instagram announce grant winners

22 Sep

Getty Images Instagram Grant Winners Announced

Photo by Girma Berta, @gboxcreative, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Getty Images and Instagram have announced the winners of the second annual Getty Images Instagram Grant, a program founded to support photographers using Instagram to document stories from underrepresented communities around the world.

The three winners will receive grants of $ 10,000 and will also have their work exhibited at the Photoville photography festival in New York from September 21-25. Click through to learn about the recipients and to see their winning images.

Christian Rodriguez

Photo by Christian Rodriguez, @christian_foto, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Christian Rodriguez, a documentary photographer from Uruguay, received a grant for his project Teen Mom, which depicts teen pregnancy in Latin America. Directly impacted by teenage motherhood, Christian hopes to raise awareness of the issue and highlight its impact on local communities. He finds inspiration in the literary trend of magical realism and considers Instagram a powerful tool to gain feedback and information about the realities many teenagers are faced with.

Christian Rodriguez

Photo by Christian Rodriguez, @christian_foto, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Portrait of Graciela (13) , Norma (8) and Lupita (7) hiding behind their house in a small village called Ocotal Grande in Veracruz. They belong to the popoluca community. Popoluca is a Nahuatl term (meaning “gibberish, unintelligible speech”) given to various indigenous communities of southeastern Veracruz.

Christian Rodriguez

Photo by Christian Rodriguez, @christian_foto, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Gloria (13) belongs to the Mixe Community of Maluco, a small village in the north of the “Itsmo de Tehuantepec”, Oaxaca. She lives with her mother and 8 of her 10 siblings, who are between 4 and 20 years old. Gloria became mother at the age of 12, consequence of the constant sexual abuse of her father who has also attacked two of her sisters, aged 8 and 16.

Christian Rodriguez

Photo by Christian Rodriguez, @christian_foto, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Angela Mieres (15) hugs her sister Patricia during labor. Her boyfriend and father of the baby was shot dead 20 days before birth.

Christian Rodriguez

Photo by Christian Rodriguez, @christian_foto, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Micaela and her son, Franco. Micaela’s mother was, like her, a teenage mother.

Ronny Sen

Photo by Ronny Sen, @ronnysen, @whatdoestheendoftimelooklike, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Children wait for their parents to return from work, both of whom are coal pickers inside a coal mine in Jharia.

Ronny Sen, from India, received a grant for his work documenting the fires that have burned for just over one hundred years in mineral-rich Jharia. A documentary photographer compelled to visually document his immediate reality, Ronny’s work uses both photography and videography to spotlight the plight of people who have been affected by big corporations and depicts survival in an apocalyptic-like landscape.

Ronny Sen

Photo by Ronny Sen, @ronnysen, @whatdoestheendoftimelooklike, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

The wall of a broken temple in a village near a coal mine in Jharia. Due to the blasting and the underground fire lots of the buildings and houses in nearby villages are being destroyed.

Ronny Sen

Photo by Ronny Sen, @ronnysen, @whatdoestheendoftimelooklike, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

A contractual labour inside one of the coal mines in Jharia. He will make two dollars after loading almost five trucks with coal in Jharia.

Ronny Sen

Photo by Ronny Sen, @ronnysen, @whatdoestheendoftimelooklike, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Coal scavengers work very early in the morning before the mine officials come inside the mines in Jharia.

Girma Berta

Photo by Girma Berta, @gboxcreative, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Girma Berta resides in Addis Ababa and uses his iPhone to capture the vibrant color and grunge of street life in the capital of Ethiopia. Girma uses his background in graphics and painting as a guide for lighting and composition, playing with colors and infusing street photography with fine art. Girma’s project, Moving Shadows, showcases local street scenes against backdrops of color. A member of @everydayafrica, he uses Instagram as a platform for self-expression and to share his work with the rest of the world. 

Girma Berta

Photo by Girma Berta, @gboxcreative, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Girma Berta

Photo by Girma Berta, @gboxcreative, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Girma Berta

Photo by Girma Berta, @gboxcreative, Getty Images Instagram Grant Recipient 2016

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images asks court to throw out $1B lawsuit

14 Sep

Getty Images has responded to the $ 1 billion lawsuit filed against it by photographer Carol Highsmith, arguing that she can no longer make copyright claims about the photos because they have been entered into the public domain. According to reports from the AP, the company further argues that it has done nothing wrong by offering licenses of the images because ‘public domain works are routinely commercialized…’ Getty points toward Shakespeare plays and Dickens novels sold by publishers as examples.

The issue revolves around the lawsuit filed in late July alleging that a Getty subsidiary has been issuing notices that demand licensing fees for Highsmith’s images. Those notices are at odds with the public domain status of the works and, according to the lawsuit, have caused damage to Highsmith’s reputation. Highsmith’s lawsuit also alleges that Getty and its subsidiaries falsely represented themselves as the copyright owners, which Highsmith’s lawyers argue violates provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

In its response to the lawsuit’s DMCA claims, Getty says it has committed no such violations, because doing so would have required ‘intent to induce, enable, facilitate, or conceal infringement.’ Because the photos are in the public domain, Getty argues that it ‘could not have acted with the requisite intent or knowledge of infringement.’

Ultimately, Getty has asked the court to dismiss Highsmith’s lawsuit against it, also stating that it has not violated the state laws alleged in the lawsuit and that other other legal claims are unfounded. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images Reportage shifts from editorial to commercial focus

03 Sep
Getty Images Reportage has gained a reputation for photojournalism and covering important issues.

Getty Images has reportedly communicated a change in strategy for Getty Images Reportage. Launched in 2007, Reportage represented top photojournalists, as well as emerging photographers, with a focus on in-depth features that addressed important issues and stories. Some of these have included the Haiti earthquake, the war in Afghanistan, Nigerian and Somali pirates, and the nuclear legacy of Northeast Kazakhstan.

The company announced that as of October, Reportage will no longer represent its photographers for editorial assignments. In its place, Getty will back a new commercial agency called Verbatim, which will represent Reportage’s photographers to commercial clients instead. According to the report in TIME, Reportage will keep its Emerging Talent program, but will become mainly an archive following the transition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty employs robots for underwater shots in Rio

13 Aug

Prior to the start of the games in Rio we got a glimpse of the gear that Getty photographers are using to cover the Olympics. This week, we’ve seen a couple more of the tools the organization is using – a pair of robotic underwater camera housings. 

Veteran Getty photographer Al Bello talks about using the robotic camera housing with CNN Money, and says that they give an obvious advantage over the static underwater systems that they’ve used in the past. The robotic system allows him to pan, tilt and zoom a Canon EOS-1D X II enclosed safely in the housing as athletes pass by overhead, eliminating the guesswork that the static system required. 

You can see more of Bello’s work above and below the water in Rio by following him on Twitter and Instagram.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images sued again, this time by Zuma Press

05 Aug

Getty Images has been sued again, this time by independent press agency Zuma Press over the alleged copyright infringement of 47,048 of its sports images. According to the lawsuit, Getty Images copied the aforementioned photos in April 2016 and made them available on its own website for both selling and licensing purposes without permission. The legal claim further states that Getty ‘altered/removed Zuma’s credit and replaced it with its own credit.’

The lawsuit, which was filed August 1 in the US District Court of the Southern District of New York, claims that, ‘Getty has been carelessly and recklessly acquiring content, not doing due diligence and not taking adequate measures to prevent infringement as well as falsifying/removing proper copyright management information… Getty has shown that it cannot and will not reform on its own accord.’

The lawsuit is seeking damages plus profits or, alternatively, statutory damages that can range from $ 2,500 to $ 25,000 per infringed photograph.

This is the second copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Getty Images in recent days. On July 25, photographer Carol M. Highsmith filed a suit against Getty for $ 1 billion over its alleged infringement of her photographers. In response, Getty said the lawsuit was based on ‘misconceptions.’

Via: Ars Technica

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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