The British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies has issued a formal response to what it calls “potentially destructive and libelous accusations” by member company fotoLibra. According to a statement posted on the BAPLA Web site, fotoLibra is completely wrong in its perception of BAPLA’s future plans.
BAPLA’s statement stresses that sales—making BAPLA Academy members’ images available to the general public as prints, mugs and other gift items—is an incidental part of the Academy project. “With the ease of doing such a thing in today’s digital environment, it is short-sighted not to offer such a facility. However, this small part of the whole has been focused upon by fotoLibra, seen as a threat and blown out of all proportion… Though contributors will get a small amount of revenue should anything sell, this is incidental to the whole and the Academy cannot be viewed as a vehicle for selling pictures and bears no comparison to fotoLibra in that,” wrote executive director Simon Cliffe.
He once more affirmed that the Academy’s and fotoLibra’s business models are completely different and are not in competition. In fact, Cliffe contends that the BAPLA Academy would give member companies access to potential new contributors—paying contributors in fotoLibra’s case—by attracting an entirely new cadre of photo enthusiasts to its seminars and Web site. This pool of new prospects, said Cliffe, will be much larger than fotoLibra could attract on its own.
The executive director also pointed out that the current economic environment demands creative and different thinking. Cliffe urged the BAPLA membership not to dismiss ideas of its elected board and reiterated his invitation to fotoLibra to further discuss the BAPLA Academy, in the hope that the company “would see it as an excellent business opportunity, not a threat.”