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SAA represents Artists Groups in Dialog with Getty Images |
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Written by Stock Artists Alliance Press Release
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Friday, 28 September 2007 |
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Getty Images Pledges Revisions to $49 “web res” License to Address Concerns
Just two weeks ago, Getty Images announced their $49 “web use” license
product. In response, a growing coalition of artists’ groups led by
Stock Artists Alliance (SAA) has called for Getty Images to remove all
Rights Managed (and Rights Ready) imagery from the scheme. The
coalition continues to grow, and today represents more than 50,000
artists from 17 trade associations.
In talks with Getty Images last week, SAA made clear that the
announcement of a term reduction to three months was a positive move,
but falls short of addressing the serious concerns that the group
raised in its communication to Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein. First
among these is:
Loss of high-value digital licensing revenue.
As major marketing budgets shift from print to digital media, this
product establishes an across-the-board bargain price point on the very
best images for all types of online usages. This product oversimplifies
the online marketplace, mixing high-value and low-value uses together,
offering $49 licenses for major global campaigns as well as small
limited uses. The result is needlessly giving up licensing revenues
from commercial and high-end uses.
Other anticipated consequences are:
A devaluation of RM licensing.
Offering the very best images at a bargain price point communicates to
customers that all images, even the very best and most creative, are
all worth the same.
Erosion of prices across the board.
Once customers can obtain a major use license of an RM image at this
cost, they will likely question the validity of being charged
significantly higher rates for other uses of top shelf images.
Reduced recovery value for infringed images.
Low values established for web uses will have a serious impact on the
valuation of claims for copyright infringement and lost/damaged
originals, and dampen efforts to pursue infringers.
Reduced return for photographers.
The impact of the above adds further strain on the viability of
independent photographers' businesses. Their declining participation in
stock means that less of the freshest, most creative images will be
available to customers.
With the full support of fellow artists’ groups, SAA is now ongoing and
increasingly productive dialog with Getty Images specifically around
the $49 product, and more broadly about the challenge of how RM
licensing can evolve to grow the online usage revenues.
While the group continues its call for removal of RM and RR images
entirely, there is progress to report. Getty Images has confirmed that
they are now working on revisions to the $49 product, which they
believe will alleviate the key concern that it be restricted to
short-term, highly limited, low-value usages and does not provide a
substitute for high-value commercial and advertising online use
licenses.
Broader discussions have also begun around the need for a comprehensive
approach of innovation and refinement of traditional RM licensing
systems. We concur with Getty Images’ assessment that online media
customers need more images, more quickly, more simply and at
appropriate price points, and acknowledge that lower-cost products may
attract new customers who would not otherwise license traditional stock
photography. We continue to believe however that this does not
translate into the need to give away broad rights to the best images
for bargain prices.
Growing Coalition of Artists Groups
As of today, the SAA led coalition includes associations representing
over 50,000 professional artists including photographers, filmmakers,
illustrators and digital artists who have come together on this issue:
Stock Artists Alliance (SAA)
American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)
Association of Photographers (AOP)
Advertising Photographers of America (APA)
Editorial Photographers (EP)
Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communications (CAPIC)
National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)
Illustrators’ Partnership of America (IPA)
Association of Swedish Professional Photographers (SFF)
International Association of Architectural Photographers (IAAP)
Australian Commercial and Media Photographers (ACMP)
Advertising & Illustrative Photographers Association of New Zealand (AIPA)
Bureau of Freelance Photographers (BFP)
Professional Photographers of Southern Africa (PPSA)
Graphic Arts Guild (GAG)
Pyramide Europe—Pyramide France, Spain, Finland, Greece, UK & Ireland, Netherlands
FREELENS
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Last Updated ( Friday, 28 September 2007 )
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