Getty Images, Inc. announced today that they expect revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2001, to be approximately $124 million, which is about five percent below the $130 to $133 million guidance to investors provided by the company on February 8th.
The new Getty Images photographer contract has arrived and it seems that Getty and their photographers are operating at cross purposes. This story is my analysis of the current situation.
Many U.S. photographers dissatisfied with their current representation are taking a hard look at what Masterfile has to offer. The company had sales of $16 million in 2000, 55% of which were in the U.S. 20% of the photographers they represent earn roylaties of over $100,000 per year. This story provides an indepth analysis of their operation.
The 11th District Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision and found that National Geographic had infringed Jerry Greenbergs copyright when they produced the ''108 Years of National Geographic on CD-ROM.'' The lower court is ordered to provide injunctive relief for Greenberg. Greenberg's attorney, Norman Davis, said, The appellate ruling ''establishes brand new law that had not existed before. It'll apply to any author who owns the copyright in his work.''
visual media international (vmi), which includes the picture agency Zefa Visual Media has acquired the Benelux Group situated in the Netherlands and Belgium. The company has over 200,000 images available online and will be establishing offices in the U.S. in 2002.
A new type of sub-agent providing technology services is moving to take a share of the gross fee in the internet environment. This fee, that is often hidden, will further reduce the photographer's percentage. Photographers need to push for full disclosure.
Two new actions have raised photographer hopes for a favorable Supreme Court opinion on Tasini vs. The New York Times Company. Register of Copyrights, Marybeth Peters has gone on record with a compelling document supporting authors. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion in Greenberg vs. National Geographic also provides support for the authors position.
This story has information on French court decision on lost transparencies of Gamma photographer, RF use trends, Laision returning all analog images, ASPP Seminar to identify solutions for finding editorial images, Solus Images and more.
Corbis will introduce subscription pricing for their entire 30,000 image royalty free library. WAM!NET will access to corporations, publishers, advertising agencies and other creative professionals. Customers will pay monthly fee. Annual fee similar to price of a disc. There are no plans to use this type of pricing for RP images in the collection.
This issue has stories on Convergence acquisitions, Moffly Forms Creatas, Getty's Year 2000 Results, Getty's upcoming contract battle with photographers, Random Eye's new cross brand searching, Staff reductions at Corbis, an analysis of the 50/50 split and its place in today's market, and more.