The copyright office tells us that only 5% of photographers register
their images. ASMP wants to change that and has created an initiative
called
Registration ©ounts to create awareness of copyright
issues, to encourage all photographers to register their work, and to
provide the tools and information needed for registration.
Polylooks, a photo service launched in June 2009 by Deutsche Telekom, Germany’s leading provider of communications services, has announced that it will close operations on December 31, 2010.
All photographers working with iSyndica must contact them before October
17, 2010 to get a refund. According to iSyndica this is required,
“because we do not have your billing details and cannot refund orders
after a certain point. Without your information, we cannot refund you.
Do fill in the form before October 17, 2010 at the latest.”
In his biography,
The Age of Turbulence, Alan Greenspan said, “The presumption of individual property ownership and the
legality of its transfer must be
deeply embedded in the culture of a society
(emphasis mine) for free market economies to function effectively. In
the West, the moral validity of property rights is accepted, or at least
acquiesced in, by virtually the whole of the population.” I was
struck by how this relates to the photography business today. The concept of individual property ownership is no
longer deeply embedded in the culture of our society. A large segment of
the population believes that certain property should be free to all and
that the creators have no rights once the property is shown to anyone.
Using the creative works of others without permission or compensation is
becoming the morally accepted standard.
ASPP has published a very informative guide for picture editors and
researchers on locating copyright holders of imagery when the name and
contact information is not readily attached to an image. The guide, and a
link to a downloadable PDF, are available free or charge.
A better question might be, “What’s NOT up with stock photography?”
Answer? Royalties, number of paid productions, royalty free and rights
managed revenues and photographer satisfaction.