Press Releases 18

Posted on 5/5/2006 by Jim Pickerell | Printable Version | Comments (0)

3

PRESS RELEASES 18


May 5, 2006



Transtock(R) Unveils New Licensing Model

Transtock (www.Transtock.com) Inc., a stock photography agency specializing in automotive and transportation images, announced today that it has transformed its website into a much more user-friendly platform for licensing the world's finest automotive and transportation images.

"This is the result of taking our customers' needs to heart, and acting upon their recommendations," said Dean Siracusa, president of Transtock. "We are maintaining our focus on providing the highest quality images and protecting the interests of our contributors so our library will remain Rights-Managed, but with a unique twist: a significant portion of our images will now be priced by file size at prices similar to Royalty-Free stock imagery. Transtock, its contributors, and its clients are getting the best of both worlds: offering images at a variety of competitive prices based on size while maintaining relatively basic usage restrictions on these images." Clients will also have the option to license these images on an exclusive basis -- something that is not possible with a Royalty-Free structure.

In addition to the new price structure, visitors to Transtock's new site will experience the following significant improvements: automated licensing, payment, and downloading, improved internal search, bigger thumbnails, bigger previews, and a refreshing aesthetic makeover.

ASMP Seeks Online Copyright Registration Within DAM Programs



The American Society of Media Photographers has met with
representatives of the Copyright Office and the Library of
Congress and with industry partners to discuss the on-line
registration of photographs from within existing and future
digital asset management programs. "With on-line registration on
the near horizon, this feature will make it much easier to
actually register your copyright and more fully protect your
images," said Richard Anderson, chair of ASMP's Digital Standards
Committee and principal author of the Universal Photographic
Digital Imaging Guidelines (UPDIG) document.

To diminish the likelihood of creating Orphan Works, images will
also be deposited into a privately created searchable registry or
database of owner and/or user information. "It has never been
more important for photographers to take steps to protect their
images and ensure their future value," said ASMP president Clem
Spalding.

This entire effort is being association- and industry-driven, and
ASMP will be soliciting participation from within the trade. More
details will emerge as this effort progresses.

Masterfile and PicScout to Focus on Europe Too

Masterfile is now extending its successful partnership with PicScout in North America to also cover Europe. Masterfile has been using PicScout's image tracker service for North America to identify images that are being used on websites without the picture agency's permission since 2004. The technology is so advanced that it even recognizes cropped sections of images or pictures where the size and/or colour have been altered significantly. Masterfile has efficiently utilized the PicScout service to increase its customer base, enforce its copyrights and recapture lost revenues for its contributors.

Says Tomas Speight, Senior VP of Masterfile International: "With the
establishment in January 2006 of Masterfile's new European headquarters in
Düsseldorf, it makes sense for us to use the PicScout service in Europe in order
to tackle the problem of our images being used on the Internet without a license
here as well. Apart from the obvious benefits to us, we also take the
responsibility of protecting our photographers' copyright very seriously."
The damages suffered by picture agencies as a result of unlicensed image
usage in each main European market are estimated to be in the tens of millions
euros.

"We were very happy to see Masterfile's efficient compliance workflow and glad
our Image Tracker service has added value to their North American operation.
As our data analysis shows similar piracy rates both in Europe as in North
America, we feel confident in our ability to show continued detection growth",
says Maya Bar, Director Marketing and Sales at PicScout.

SuperStock Expands Partnership with PicScout to Protect its Images in Europe

SuperStock has announced that it is expanding its relationship with PicScout to protect its Rights-Managed images in Europe, with primary focus on the United Kingdom. SuperStock and PicScout will also continue collaborating in North America.

SuperStock uses PicScout technology to track and enforce the copyrights of the Rights-Managed images it exclusively represents. The expanded relationship into Europe will allow SuperStock's photographers and image suppliers to benefit from the new territories being covered.

"Our ongoing collaboration with PicScout has been extremely successful," said Thomas V. Butta, CEO of SuperStock and Vice-Chairman and President of a21. "And because we continue to pursue European growth plans, starting with the acquisition of Ingram Publishing and the consolidation of it with our London office, it makes sense to expand our partnership with PicScout and have them support our copyright protection in this territory."

"At PicScout we strive to provide our clients with the highest quality of service in the most cost effective way. This has been, and will continue to be, our primary commitment as we grow our business and the services we offer. With image piracy nearly everywhere, we encourage our clients to rely on our expertise and successful track record to support their efforts," added Eyal Gura, CEO of PicScout.

NewsCom Partners with WireImage

NewsCom has announced that it has added WireImage and FilmMagic to its extensive roster of industry-leading content partners. WireImage specializes in entertainment and sports photography, including coverage of movie premieres, awards ceremonies, and charity events, the National Football League, the PGA TOUR and Major League Soccer.

Newscom is committed to offering our customers images from the industry's leading content providers, and WireImage is a front-runner for entertainment and sports photography," said NewsCom General Manager Bill Creighton. "NewsCom customers will be impressed with the depth and scope of coverage provided by WireImage."

WireImage was launched in January 2001 and today has a roster of more than 1,700 photographers. Their images are frequently featured in major domestic and international magazines, newspapers, websites, television programs, advertisements and wireless applications.

"We're pleased to partner with NewsCom in making thousands of images available to the publishing community in a timely fashion," said Marc Kurschner, Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations at MediaVast, Inc. "Faster access to relevant content is perfectly consistent with WireImage's core value proposition and NewsCom will leverage our key expertise in both quality of content and delivery."

NewsCom now offers the following WireImage collections for editorial use by subscribers in the United States, Canada and Mexico:

  • WireImage Entertainment is spearheaded by a team of veteran photographers whose privileged relationships with celebrities and publicists ensure WireImage's unrestricted access to all entertainment events, including award shows, premieres, film festivals, concerts, fashion shows, and parties.

  • WireImage Sports is the preferred partner of sponsors, licensees, and broadcasters. Most recently, three of the most prominent sports organizations have entrusted the agency with their photography needs through multi-year exclusive deals--the National Football League (NFL), the PGA TOUR, and Major League Soccer (MLS).

  • FilmMagic provides media companies with immediate access to high-quality celebrity, music, and fashion photography. Launched in September 2002, FilmMagic has rapidly carved a solid reputation for its exclusive coverage, flawless editing, and keen understanding of the entertainment media.

Photolibrary Acquires Monsoon Images of New York

Photolibrary has announced its further expansion with the acquisition of Monsoon Images of New York, one of the last few truly inspired stock archives. In Monsoon, you'll find a riveting collection of contemporary photographic fine art and photographer's personal work. Monsoon Images are visionary, unexpected and at the same time relevant to our daily themes.

Monsoon Images will join a rapidly expanding group, which includes Photolibrary, Garden Picture Library (GPL) and Oxford Scientific (OSF). This merged collection continues Photolibrary Group's strategy of providing the picture buying community with easy access, striking imagery and unbeatable service across an ever-growing subject range. Glenn Parker, Photolibrary Group CEO, says: "Monsoon is another unique addition to our group and once more provides customers with a range of superb specialist images which cannot be obtained anywhere else. Monsoon offers a broader range of images, allowing for unique identity in a cluttered market where frequently content is created in the same colour, lighting, location and style."

Monsoon founder, Brian Phillpotts says: "Photolibrary provides a strong foundation for Monsoon Images' US market penetration and solidifies a global presence for our artists. What better way to continue the creative vision of our great founder and Stock Photography Industry pioneer, Jerry Karpf."

Glenn Parker continues: "We will be retaining the Monsoon brand and creative team in New York, along with our creative teams in Sydney and London. This is our first foray into the US market and we are excited about Monsoon's development and that of Photolibrary within the US. We can now truly say to our present and future artists that we can service customers across all major territories around the world. Our major sales channel, (www.photolibrary.com will carry the Monsoon content and we will also be looking at launching Photolibrary in the US over the coming months."

Custom Medical Stock Photo Offers RF Collection

Custom Medical Stock Photo announces the launch of a new collection of ROYALTY FREE stock images called "Royalty Free Medical." The new venture into royalty free stock photography features over 5000 images depicting doctors, nurses, patients, healthy and unhealthy lifestyles, rehabilitation, surgery, research, senior health, exercise, anatomy and more. The image collection consists of fresh new concepts, detailed captions and medically correct scenes. This specialized collection of images offers marketing and advertising departments new options in medical imagery as well as a unique source for hard to find illustrations and photographs.

CMSP's entire image collection is available online at www.cmsp.com, a fully functional e-commerce website. Users can conduct searches by keyword, download free composites, and purchase & download images using credit cards. Clients can easily create their own

virtual lightboxes to store or share images. Lightboxes enable easy image retrieval and gives users an area to create design or editorial notes. The lightboxes can be emailed to colleagues along with comments providing a convenient forum for groups working together to make decisions regarding images.

CMSP's high-speed search engine offers the ability to search for royalty free images, rights managed or a combination of both. The Royalty Free (RF) collection boasts three downloadable file sizes; 2, 10 and 50 megabyte files. Frequent users qualify for online discounts

Photononstop Launches RF Collection -- Hires International Network Coordinator

Photononstop initiates its first royalty-free collection, which was produced early spring 2006 and is to be completed on a regular yearly basis. This first collection of 20 CDs focuses on Beauty and Lifestyle. Pursuing the "French touch" aesthetics, which characterizes Photononstop, these images participate in extending Photononstop's offer on the RF market. A special emphasis has been brought to the Beauty theme which features specifics such as hair care, body and face care, as well as make-up actions.

Likewise, Lifestyle themes have been developed around family events including birthdays, children's games, festive reunions such as Christmas and so forth. Parenting throughout life's stages, from young couples to seniors, as well as large families have also been included.

The collection will be showcased at the Cepic Congress, to be held in Biarritz from June 7 to 11, 2006.

To meet its representatives' expectations and needs in duly time, Photononstop has hired an international network coordinator, Miss Helene Lagrange, who will also be in charge of presenting the new RF collection to current partners as well as establishing partnerships with potential new agents. Please contact her at:
Email: h.lagrange@photononstop.com - Phone (direct line): + 33 1 49 29 69 64

WireImage To Distribute Images From The Conde Nast Archive

WireImage will begin distributing selected pictures and photographs from the renowned Condé Nast Archive under the rights-managed category of its WireImage Creative tab, beginning April 2006. This specially edited collection showcases iconic images from the 1930s to the late 1970s and can be licensed by accessing the Creative tab at (www.wireimage.com) Under the terms of the agreement, archival photographs from titles such as Vogue, Glamour, Vanity Fair and House & Garden will gradually be added to the collection.

Condé Nast Publications brings to WireImage Creative the greatest collection of fashion and lifestyle photography ever published. The hundreds of images featured are evocative, striking, and encapsulate the mood and sensibility of their respective eras. Through WireImage's digital distribution platform, registered customers worldwide will be able to access, review, and license pictures from photographers such as Tom Leonard, William Grigsby, Samuel Gottscho, Rico Pulmann, John Rawlings, and Susan Wood.

Having enriched its Creative catalog with Condé Nast's quintessential magazine photography, WireImage is rapidly emerging as an exceedingly discerning player in the stock photography space. Equally discerning art buyers will benefit from the agency's value proposition as a one-stop-shop for all visual content needs.


Copyright © 2006 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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