Getty Images, Inc. has announced the acquisition of Ireland-based Pixel Images Holdings Limited, the parent company of Stockbyte and Stockdisc for $135 million in cash. Photographers shooting for other Getty brands are concerned.
In testimony at the U.S. House of Representatives, Victor S. Perlman, ASMP General Counsel and Managing Director laid out a plan for a Copyright Small Claims Court that would create an inexpensive legal procedure for collecting small copyright claims involving a few thousand dollars or less.
In the past week I've had two unusual moments of revelation and insight into the stock photo business. One has to do with the cost of producing stock and the other iStockphoto.
This group of releases includes: NewsCom Launches RSS Service; Science Faction Inks Deal With Peter Ginter; UpperCut Images Names Winters Vice President; Ethno Images Partners With Big Cheese Photos; and Clarkson Chooses Digital Railroad to Power NCAA Archives.
According to sources Getty Images is about to launch a 20% off sale during April and May on any RM and RF images on its site. (No this is not an April Fools joke.) The Sale is expected to be announced in emails to customers early next week.
Fifty-five photographers with a gross 2005 income of $8,490,187 responded to our survey. This was up 9.7% from 2004 and 78% of this income was from stock. 30% of the revenue was from Getty and almost 15% from Corbis
While in China I had the opportunity to meet and talk to many photographers and extensive discussion with three - American editorial photographers David Hartung and Fritz Hoffmann living in Shanghai and a Chinese advertising photographer Tang Hui in Beijing. The experiences of these three will give the reader a sense of what it is like for a photographer to live and work in China today.
Rumors have it that any day Stockbyte should announce its sale for a record multiple for a Royalty Free stock photo company. The betting is that the Getty Images will be the buyer and the price will be at least $200 million. Estimates are that Stockbyte's gross annual revenue is in the range of $50 million.
This group of releases includes: Image Source's Founder Interviewed on CNN for International Women's Day; Image Source Joins Quark Alliance Progam; BigStockPhoto.com Grows; Fotolia Teams with Slide Inc.; Neophyte Media Launches Self-Selling Photo Site; Popperfoto Tops 75,000 Images on Alamy; Ellen Boughn Joins Superstock; and Workbook Premieres New Subscription Service.
Corbis has acquired Beateworks, an image licensing company providing high-end interior images and celebrity home stories to magazine and corporate clients. Also included in the deal is the RF brand InsideOutPix.