Mobile communication is rapidly changing the way the world gets information. More and more of the information we need will be delivered via mobile devices. This shift is likely to change the demand for visual materials. Here are some things to consider as you plan for the future.

Cordón Press (www.cordonpress.com), Spain’s number one editorial agency, has just
announced the acquisition of Latinstock Spain (www.latinstock.es) for an undisclosed amount.

In an effort to go after a share of the $15 billion educational textbook market Apple Inc. has launched iBooks2 software with an aim to quicken the adoption of the iPad in the educational market. The company has been working with Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to produce digital textbooks that can be delivered on the iPad. Currently, these three companies are responsible for 90% of the textbooks sold in the US.

According to an eMarketer study in 2012 U.S. marketers are expected to spend more on online advertising than on newspaper and magazine ads combined. Marketers are expected to spend $39.5 billion this year compared to $33.8 billion on print.

Earlier today Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he would delay a cloture vote on the Protect IP (Intellectual Property) Act (PIPA) bill and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) announced he will postpone further action on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). On January 14th the White House’s announced its refusal to support the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

Fotolia has added 3128 fine art images from the deviantArt (dA) collection to its offering.  (Click here to see the images.) The images are available exclusively at Fotolia.com.

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has submitted its comments on “Remedies for Copyright Small Claims” to the U.S. Copyright Office. The Office asked for comments related to a study it is undertaking at the request of Congress to assess whether and how the current legal system hinders or prevents copyright owners from pursuing copyright infringement claims that have a relatively small economic value. The Office also asked for potential alternatives to improve the settlement of these claims.

It seems to me that 30 or so years ago photographers could have verbal agreements (a handshake, if you will) with others in business and both sides would feel an ethical obligation to honor the agreement.
Today, honoring agreements is often secondary to maximizing profit.

The White House says the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) goes too far. "While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet," leaders from the Obama Administration officially responded Saturday morning on whitehouse.gov. "We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet."

The photography business has changed dramatically -- and at a very rapid pace. Kodak is near bankruptcy and trying to sell off its photographic patents. Most of the photo labs that used to process film and make prints have long since gone out of business. Locally, Penn Camera Exchange the largest photo equipment supplier in the region is closing 5 out of its 8 stores. Professional photographers aren’t the only ones who are hurting.