Microsoft Backs Down On Bing Image Widget

Posted on 9/8/2014 by Jim Pickerell | Printable Version | Comments (0)

Computerworld reports that following a lawsuit from Getty Images, Microsoft has temporarily removed the beta of the Bing Image Widget from its website. However, for those people who uploaded the Widget prior to the Getty challenge the Widget still works.

Getty Images filed a copyright complaint against Microsoft on Sept. 4, 2014. The following day the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ordered Microsoft to show-cause by Sept. 17 as to why an order should not be issued, enjoining it from using, offering, or otherwise supporting the Bing Image Widget or comparable technology used to display images, during the action, unless it has an express license for such use by the copyright owners.

Microsoft's Bing now says on its website that " We have temporarily removed the beta." The company told IDG News Service on Monday in an email that it had temporarily removed the widget "so we can take time to talk with Getty Images and better understand its concerns."



According to Getty's complaint. "Rather than draw from a licensed collection of images, Defendant gathers these images by crawling as much of the Internet as it can, copying and indexing every image it finds, without regard to the copyright status of the images and without permission from copyright owners like Plaintiff."


Copyright © 2014 Jim Pickerell. The above article may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted or distributed in any manner without written permission from the author. All requests should be submitted to Selling Stock at 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 162, Bethesda, MD 20817, phone 301-461-7627, e-mail: wvz@fpcubgbf.pbz

Jim Pickerell is founder of www.selling-stock.com, an online newsletter that publishes daily. He is also available for personal telephone consultations on pricing and other matters related to stock photography. He occasionally acts as an expert witness on matters related to stock photography. For his current curriculum vitae go to: http://www.jimpickerell.com/Curriculum-Vitae.aspx.  

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