A late July study from the International Intellectual Property Alliance shows that U.S. copyright industries continue to lead the economy in their contributions to job growth, gross domestic product and exports. Though the study does not take into consideration recent economic events, it does demonstrate an encouraging, consistently upward progression of revenues and other growth indicators over a five-year period, highlighting the need for stronger laws and their enforcement.
When Cutcaster announced its Betta Than Vetta image collection, its intent to ride on the coat tails of an earlier iStockphoto launch was patently obvious. The announcement was predictably followed by a cease-and-desist letter from iStock and a new, definitively Betta, product name for Cutcaster. Even those paying close attention to the micro segment quickly dismissed the entire thing as a weakly conceptualized publicity stunt, but Cutcaster founder John Griffin continues to fascinate onlookers with ramblings so devoid of professionalism as to cast doubt on the validity of his entire enterprise.
As first reported by
The Washington Post last week, a Getty Images-represented photo of Barack Obama by former schoolmate Lisa Jack has been used on a poster produced by The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws without obtaining a license for the image. On Tuesday, a Getty Images spokesperson told
Selling Stock that NORML has ceased selling the poster.
Dreamstime has introduced a Facebook application that allows members to connect their microstock-image portfolios to their accounts with the social network. According to Dreamstime, the app creates a new market for the Web site's contributors, because it makes their photography accessible to over 20 million Facebook users.
Much of the recent coverage of trends in the stock-photo business revolves around the shift away from traditional stock, in both subject matter and distribution model. Photo-historian Joseph Sohm's selection of ImageSpan's LicenseStream as a licensing solution exemplifies both.
Rohn Engh, one of the pioneers of the stock-photography industry, has announced the release of a 21-unit CD e-course, "How To Market Your Photos." The course is designed to help photographers take advantage of the Internet, with a primary focus on search engines.