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Posts Tagged ‘Getty’

Getty Images says $1 billion lawsuit is based on ‘misconceptions’

02 Aug

On July 25, photographer Carol M. Highsmith filed a lawsuit against Getty Images seeking $ 1 billion in damages over the company’s alleged infringement of her photo copyrights. The lawsuit names both Getty Images and distributor Alamy, claiming both have been charging licensing fees for the use of photos she provided to the Library of Congress for public use. The suit also names LCS, which it claims is owned by or operated under common control with Getty. In a response to the lawsuit, Getty said, ‘We believe it is based on a number of misconceptions.’

In its statement, Getty Images distances itself from the copyright infringement claim, stating that LCS was acting on behalf of Alamy.

The content in question has been part of the public domain for many years. It is standard practice for image libraries to distribute and provide access to public domain content, and it is important to note that distributing and providing access to public domain content is different to asserting copyright ownership of it.

LCS works on behalf of content creators and distributors to protect them against the unauthorized use of their work. In this instance, LCS pursued an infringement on behalf of its customer, Alamy. Any enquiries regarding that matter should be directed to Alamy; however, as soon as the plaintiff contacted LCS, LCS acted swiftly to cease its pursuit with respect to the image provided by Alamy and notified Alamy it would not pursue this content.

The company also said that, assuming it can’t ‘rectify’ the situation with Highsmith, ‘we will defend ourselves vigorously.’

Via: Getty Images

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images sued for $1 billion over alleged copyright infringement

29 Jul
Photographer Carol Highsmith with her Phase One camera. Photo via The Lyda Hill Texas Collection of Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America Project, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Photographer Carol M. Highsmith is suing Getty Images for $ 1 billion over its alleged copyright infringement of 18,755 of her photos. The lawsuit, which was filed in a New York federal court on July 25, alleges that Getty Images has been charging fees to license her images without her permission – the same images she has provided to the Library of Congress for free use by the public. In addition to distributing her images, the lawsuit alleges that Getty did not give Highsmith proper credit for her photos.

The legal claim alleges statutory damages at up to $ 468,875,000. But because of a ruling against Getty in Morel v. Getty, a previous copyright case, the damages can reportedly be tripled to deter ‘bad faith business practices’. Highsmith became aware of Getty’s alleged copyright infringement after, she says, it sent her a letter accusing her of infringing the copyright of her own photograph by posting it on her own non-profit organization’s website.

The claim states, in part, ‘The defendants have apparently misappropriated Ms. Highsmith’s generous gift to the American people. [Getty Images and subsidiaries] are not only unlawfully charging licensing fees… but are falsely and fraudulently holding themselves out as the exclusive copyright owner.” The lawsuit also claims Highsmith’s reputation has suffered a serious blow as a result of Getty’s alleged actions. 

Via: PDNPulse, Hyperallergic

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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This is what it looks like when Getty prepares for the Olympics

26 Jul

Michael Heiman, Getty’s Director of Global Event Operations, has his work cut out for him in Rio. He’s been posting photos to his Instagram account showing the work going on behind the scenes as his team prepares to cover the Summer Olympics. From the not-so-glamorous task of installing cables, to the confusion caused when he wore a green shirt to a local hardware store, his posts have offered a fascinating look at what it takes to cover a colossal event like the Olympics.

And of course, there’s the gear. Observe:

 

It takes a lot gear to cover the Olympics. This is just some of our lens…. #mygettyriooffice #rio2016 #cps #thankscanon #lotsofglass

A photo posted by Michael Heiman (@heiman225) on

But what about the camera bodies? Glad you asked.

 

You obviously need some camera bodies to go with all that glass. #rio2016 #mygettyriooffice #gearporn #lotsofcameras #eos1dxmarkii #cps #canon #thankscanon #gettysport

A photo posted by Michael Heiman (@heiman225) on

Not surprisingly, the table is loaded with Canon EOS-1D X Mark I and II bodies, with a couple of 5DSR bodies for good measure, and L-series glass as far as the eye can see. Just another day at the office, right?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images launches ‘Virtual Reality Group’, adds 12,000 360° images

10 Jun

Getty Images has announced the launch of the Getty Images Virtual Reality Group – a new business division ‘dedicated to the creation and global distribution’ of VR content. At launch, the new group offers a library of more than 12,000 360-degree VR images, as well as ultra high-resolution ‘Gigapixel’ imagery from major events. 

Getty Images has announced the creation of a dedicated Virtual Reality Group, which will offer more than 12,000 360-degree and ‘Gigapixel’ images at launch.

According to Dawn Airey, CEO of Getty Images: ‘The technology is still in its infancy – as are the business models addressing how to use it – but […] we are only on the cusp of what will be a tectonic plate shift in VR’.

Although Getty Images started adding VR and Gigapixel imagery to its collection several years ago, the launch of a dedicated business division is the latest sign that the photography industry is taking VR very seriously indeed. What do you think? Let us know. 

Press Release:

The launch of the Getty Images Virtual Reality Group brings high quality VR and 360 content to everyone, satisfying the growing appetite for immersive content

Getty Images, the world leader in visual communication, has today announced the launch of the Getty Images Virtual Reality Group, a new business dedicated to the creation and global distribution of virtual reality (VR) content.

The Getty Images Virtual Reality Group brings the very latest in photographic and video technology together with Getty Images’ 21 years of experience in visual storytelling, to offer exceptional content for existing and future VR platforms. The Group provides a comprehensive offering of over 12,000 premium 360 images with new content added daily, as well as high res gigapixel content from key events and venues. High quality VR production is also being offered through Getty Images Assignments.

Quick to adapt to new image technologies, Getty images began building its collection of 360 and gigapixel imagery four years ago, pioneering the use of these techniques in its role as the Official Photographic Agency for the International Olympic Committee at the 2012 London Olympics. Fast track to today, and every Getty Images photographer at the upcoming Rio Olympic Games, will be equipped with a 360 camera. This is just one example of how Getty Images is utilizing its expertise, its access to over 130,000 annual news, sport and entertainment events and its unique relationships to generate high-end VR content, and feed the growing demand for a more immersive visual experience.

“The technology is still in its infancy – as are the business models addressing how to use it – but we can expect to see VR become a leading tool for visual storytelling. It is anticipated that over 14 million consoles will sell this year alone (TrendForce), and we are only on the cusp of what will be a tectonic plate shift in VR” said Dawn Airey, Chief Executive Officer of Getty Images.

Airey continues: “With the launch of the Getty Images Virtual Reality Group, we are embedding VR content technologies into the core of our business and ensuring that, as use of VR continues to grow, its users are further enhancing their experience with access to the world’s best imagery.”

“The diverse range of 360 degree content that we produce – from the red carpet to the stadiums of the world’s biggest sporting events and the frontline of conflict – allows people to access information and experiences that were previously off limits,” said Hugh Pinney, Vice President of Editorial Content at Getty Images. “Virtual Reality is completely transforming the way we view and experience world events.”

The Group will continue to build on Getty Images existing VR content offering, which includes 360 content captured by its award-winning news, sport and entertainment photographers as well as geo-located, interactive panoramic images from its content partner 360cities.net.

Last month, Getty Images and Google announced their latest partnership, which sees Getty Images supplying hi-res VR content from current events around the world for Google Expeditions. Getty Images partnered with Oculus Rift in June 2015 to make its 360 imagery available for users of the Oculus platform via its 360° View by Getty Images collection.

For more information, visit http://wherewestand.gettyimages.com/virtualrealitygroup.

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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Corbis Images content to be distributed by Getty

26 Jan

Getty Images is set to become the exclusive distributor of its rival’s content after a deal in which Corbis Images was sold to a Chinese company that has a partnership with the Getty agency. It was announced recently that Unity Glory, an affiliate of media business Visual China Group (VCG), has bought the assets and brands of Corbis Images for an undisclosed sum. A pre-existing agreement between Unity Glory and Getty will see Getty Images representing the Corbis content in all territories outside China, as the two companies have worked together for over ten years to share content. Once the Corbis still and moving images archives have been migrated into Unity Glory’s own archive, Unity Glory will distribute within China and Getty Images will sell the work in the rest of the world. 

Getty Images and Corbis Images have been rivals since Bill Gates, who was still Chairman of Corbis, changed the name of his Interactive Home Systems company to ‘Corbis Corporation’ and acquired the Bettmann Archive in 1995. The 16 million images of the collection made Corbis the largest supplier of stock images in the world, and the library went on the next year to acquire the rights to 40,000 photographs by Ansel Adams. After numerous other acquisitions Corbis bought the Sygma news agency in 1999, which bought over 40 million images of significant European events into its control. 

Getty Images is said to already control almost 200 million images, including 80 million from its Hulton Archive historical collection. The Getty empire includes iStockphoto (or iStock as it is now), the Tony Stone agency – now called ‘Stone’ – as well as the collection of royalty-free image business PhotoDisc. Thinkstock is Getty’s current royalty-free division. 

The Corbis Images content will be gradually merged into Getty’s own, which may well lead to job losses across the two agencies. An article on the Time Lightbox website quotes Getty Images’ Senior Vice President of Business Development, Craig Peters, as saying that Visual China Group will take over the contracts of all contributing Corbis photographers. “Contributors will [be able] to execute their rights as their contracts stipulate,” he says, according to the report. 

VCG is China’s largest visual media content company and currently has over 14,000 photographers and artists contributing to its collection. It won’t hold the physical assets of the Corbis purchase, such as historic documents and images recorded on film, plate and in print, and Getty will be responsible for taking over the housing and digitising of these. 

Whether this turns out to be good or bad news for contributors we will have to wait and see. Less competition in the market will perhaps stop the downward trend of stock photography prices, but ultimately the likely consequences are unclear. A joint statement from Getty and VCG says ‘details about the transition will be communicated to customers and contributors in the coming weeks’.

For more information see the Getty Images, Corbis Images and Visual China Group websites. 

Press release:

Getty Images and Visual China Group Partner in Exclusive Global Distribution Partnership for Extensive Visual Content Collection of Corbis Images

Getty Images, the world leader in visual content and communications, and Visual China Group (“VCG”), a leading Chinese visual communications and new media business, today announced an exclusive distribution partnership that will enable Getty Images customers to access the extensive visual library from Corbis Images. As a result, the existing Getty Images collection of almost 200 million images will expand to include Corbis Images content, creating an unprecedented collection of images, videos and historic archival content for creative and editorial use worldwide.

The partnership follows VCG’s acquisition announced today of Corbis Images, Corbis Motion and Veer. Under the terms of that agreement, Unity Glory, an affiliate of VCG, will own and manage the worldwide images and motion archives, names and trademarks associated with these three Corbis licensing brands and Getty Images will have exclusive distribution rights to these Corbis brands and content.

VCG has partnered with Getty Images for over a decade to market and distribute Getty Images’ award-winning content exclusively in China.  After a transition period, Getty Images will exclusively offer Corbis creative stills, Corbis Motion content and Corbis archival and documentary content to its global customer base outside of China.

This partnership brings together the best creative and editorial imagery and combines Getty Images’ renowned Hulton Archive, the largest privately held archive in the world with an estimated 80 million images dating back to the beginning of photography, with Corbis’ Sygma and Bettmann archives. The Bettmann Archive is a significant historical image collection comprising of more than 16 million photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries, while the Sygma Archive holds 34 million images covering Europe’s most important historical events.

“As the most trusted and esteemed source of visual content in the world, Getty Images is always innovating and investing to bring customers the most comprehensive and diverse offering of quality content,” said Craig Peters, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Product and Content at Getty Images.

“We are excited to deepen our longstanding partnership with VCG, a trusted business partner for Getty Images in China, and to offer an unprecedented breadth and depth of gold-standard content across creative, editorial, archival and video, which customers will be able to access through an expanded and unified service at gettyimages.com and through our market leading sales teams all over the world.”

Amy Jun Liang, Chief Executive Officer of VCG, said: “We are proud to work with our partner Getty Images to assemble such impressive visual assets and work together to better serve our customers around the world. This maximizes the commercial value of the assets, strengthens our market position in the industry, and marks a significant milestone in the expansion of our business portfolio to the world. As one of the largest companies in the image industry, we foresee a growing interest in China and around the world for premium visual content and we look forward to collaborating with Getty Images to fulfil this demand.”

Getty Images will create specific collections to house this new content on gettyimages.com, where it will sit alongside award-winning content from Getty Images’ own staff photographers, its network of over 200,000 contributors and from approximately 330 existing image partner relationships, including prestigious partners NBC Universal, BBC Worldwide and AFP.

Getty Images’ purchasing options such as Premium Access agreements and recently introduced UltraPacks, the simplest way to buy and download content across creative, editorial, archival and video, will provide streamlined and flexible ways for customers to search, purchase and download imagery.

VCG is China’s largest image licensing company. Its VCG.com website is China’s largest online licensing and copyright distribution for premium visual content, and its contributors’ network includes more than 14,000 photographers and artists and hundreds of image partners globally, serving the needs of advertisers, media outlets, and other organizations using licensed images, videos and musical content.

VCG and Getty Images will immediately begin work to migrate Corbis content, with migration to be completed as quickly as possible to ensure a seamless transition for customers, contributors and other partners. In the interim, Corbis customers will continue to access this content in the usual way via the Corbis websites and sales team.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Countdown to PIX 2015: Getty Images Legacy Collection

04 Oct

It’s hard to believe that PIX 2015 is just over a week away. As we get closer to the show, we’re highlighting some of our amazing speaking and content partners. In the slideshow above you’ll find a preview of some of the iconic photos Getty Images will have on display in our gallery space. Find out more about the Legacy Collection from Getty Images Co-Founder Jonathan Klein. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Recipients of Getty Images Instagram Grant announced

15 Sep

Three winners were announced for the inaugural grant, meant to to reward photographers who use Instagram as a means to document stories from underrepresented communities around the world. Read more

 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images announces Instagram Grant

09 May

Getty Images has announced a new grant offered in collaboration with Instagram. There are a total of three grants available, each for $ 10,000 USD, and will be awarded to photographers using Instagram to document underrepresented communities. Recipients will also be given a mentorship opportunity with Getty Images’ photographers. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty Images now lets you hang iconic photos on your wall

28 Apr

David-Redfern-Gallery-537x368.jpg

In March, stock photography house Getty Images rocked the industry when it announced it would allow people to embed images for free on websites and other electronic uses. Clearly looking to monetize the vast collection of images currently gathering digital dust in its archives, it has launched Photos.com by Getty Images to sell prints directly to customers. Learn more

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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