On April 2, Corbis filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against a Washington, D.C.-based National Museum of Crime and Punishment. Beyond the inescapable irony of a museum devoted to crime committing one, the allegations outlined in the complaint are particularly egregious. Purportedly, NMCP agreed to pay Corbis a licensing fee of $139,600 for limited non-exclusive use of 705 images, did not pay any of such fees but has used the images since last May and continues to do so to this day.
After a recent partnership with Thought Equity Motion, which was universally deemed a smart move by industry pundits, Corbis has launched a new Corbis Motion Web site. The Bill Gates-owned company now offers ten times more footage and boasts sophisticated e-commerce features.
The most commonly heard complaint from traditional photographers about microstock is that it is impossible to make money selling pictures for a few dollars. Yet the expected 2009 earnings of some 150 iStockphoto contributors suggest that these shooters make a very respectable living, even by U.S. full-time traditional shooter standards.
California-based Brand Affinity Technologies, which specializes in bringing athlete and celebrity endorsements to the Web, has struck a limited exclusive deal to provide its advertiser-clients with access to Getty Images editorial image collection.
At this week's Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, ImageSpan and PicScout announced a partnership to help ImageSpan's LicenseStream subscribers track and monetize content published online. The two companies said this alliance not only offers licensing and tracking services, but also addresses the growing problem of online image theft.
Portland-based Aurora Photos has launched an eco-compilation. The company aims to address the needs of earth-conscious advertisers, green-living magazines, corporations and environmental organizations.
According to the latest Corbis Creative IQ Trends report, the popularity of triathlons has exploded since their introduction as an Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney games. Economic pressures have helped, as people increasingly seek positive outlets to exert control over their lives.
WebMediaBrands-reported fourth-quarter figures for Jupiterimages show an 11.6% revenue decline from total 2007 revenues and a 23.1% decline from last year's final quarter.