Blockchain

WENN Media Group To Use Copytrack Infringement Tracking Service

By Jim Pickerell | 239 Words | Posted 9/26/2018 | Comments
Copytrack and WENN Media Group (WMG) have announced their future exclusive collaboration. WMG specialized in providing up-to-the-minute entertainment news content with production based in Los Angeles, New York, London and Berlin. Copytrack will provide WMG with the tracking and worldwide legal enforcement of copyright infringement.

Do We Need Floor Prices?

By Jim Pickerell | 847 Words | Posted 5/15/2018 | Comments
A reader agreed with the lead in “Escalating Price Based On Demand” that few photographers understand what they should charge for their work, but he argued that there is “another possible consideration.” He said it is important to establish a “floor price” below which you won’t license a usage. He asked, “why won’t agencies allow creator to set a ‘floor price” for ‘special images?’ It can be painful to see $2.50 sales of extremely complicated to produce images. Creators should be able to mark certain "high value images" so they can't be used unless the buyer is willing to pay at least a minimum fee.”

Escalating Price Based On Demand

By Jim Pickerell | 1441 Words | Posted 5/10/2018 | Comments
Possibly the biggest flaws in the Blockchain model is allowing photographers to establish one fixed price for their work. As I have pointed out before very few photographers have any understanding of what they should charge for their work. They may know what they would “like” to get if someone uses one of their images, but invariably that will be much higher than all but a very few customers will be willing to pay to use the image.

Blockchain Stories

By Jim Pickerell | 161 Words | Posted 5/9/2018 | Comments
The opening session at this year’s CEPIC Congress in Berlin on May 30, 2018 is entitled “Can Blockchain be applied to the Photo Industry?” For those who would like to know more about the existing blockchain offerings, or who are considering putting images with one of the blockchain companies the following are some stories you might want to review.

Photochain: Rewriting Rules For Monetizing Images

By Jim Pickerell | 685 Words | Posted 5/9/2018 | Comments
Photochain is raising funds to build a blockchain based stock image platform that is excepted to go live by the end of 2018. Artists will be able to define the price for their work and receive “up to” 95% of the price they set (depending on the business model). The platform takes a commission to maintain the platform, and to offer support, marketing and other services.

The Blockchain Fairy Tale

By Jim Pickerell | 1094 Words | Posted 5/2/2018 | Comments
Blockchains are being touted as offering great future economic benefit for stock photographers. Photographers will be able to set the price for their work. No waiting weeks of months to be paid the photographers share of the sale. Once the image is licensed virtually 100% of the revenue will be transferred immediately to the photographer’s account. “Technology” has removed the need for middlemen and their costs. Blockchains will keep such great records on every transaction that consumers will be unable to steal without getting caught. Any unauthorized used will be immediately identified and the infringer will be pursued. Is it all really that good? Check out this story.

Wemark Enters Stock Photography Marketplace

By Jim Pickerell | 738 Words | Posted 4/30/2018 | Comments
Wemark has announced on VentureBeat.com that it is looking to replace existing agencies in the stock photography marketplace with a blockchain strategy that supports direct transactions between creators and customers and gives photographers control over the price of their photos.

Proof of Existence Is Not Proof of Ownership

By Joe Naylor | 881 Words | Posted 2/26/2018 | Comments
There is a dangerous movement afoot; the idea that registration of your images on the blockchain is a cheap and simple alternative to registration with the United States Copyright Office.  It is not.

Copytrack To Launch Global Copyright Register

By Jim Pickerell | 904 Words | Posted 2/20/2018 | Comments
Copytrack has completed its Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and will be launching a Global Copyright Register (GCR) this summer that will work in conjunction with their Global Copyright Enfocement services (copytrack.com). With their Presale and ICO they have a total of 8,600 investors who have purchased around 16 million tokens. The purchase of images found on the GCR will be tracked in a Blockchain and paid for using cryptocurrency tokens.

Understanding Blockchains

By Jim Pickerell | 1225 Words | Posted 2/1/2018 | Comments
At some point in the future Blockchains may play a significant role in the licensing of stock imagery. My role is to try to provide my readers with a simplified, not too technical, understanding of the potential benefits, and risks, of blockchain technology so the readers might better plan their individual futures.

KodakCoin Sales Delayed Several Weeks.

By Jim Pickerell | 428 Words | Posted 2/1/2018 | Comments
If you’re an image creator, or a stock photography customer and you’ve been thinking about getting involved with the new KodakOne you might want to think again. The initial coin offering (ICO) of KodakCoin, that was supposed to launch on January 31st, has been delayed several weeks. In order to eventually license rights to images it will be necessary to use KodakCoins.

Blockchain Payment: How They Work

By Jim Pickerell | 791 Words | Posted 1/30/2018 | Comments
After publishing several stories on blockchain technology as it relates to image licensing, it has been unclear to me how customers with dollars in their pocket would conduct a transaction to license use of a photo and how the image creator would actually gets dollars they can use to buy groceries.

Blockchains Without Cryptocurrency

By Jim Pickerell | 1076 Words | Posted 1/26/2018 | Comments
Blockchain tracking of stock image licensing may be a way to improve the working environment for image creators without getting involved in cryptocurrencies. One of the things that concerns image creators when they hear discussions about blockchains is that they always seem to be tied to collecting money in some type of “new economy” cryptocurrency like KodakCoin.

lPStock Blockchain - More Information

By Jim Pickerell | 1210 Words | Posted 1/15/2018 | Comments
After publishing the story on IPStock on Friday I had some further questions particularly in regard to how customers actually pay for the use of images and how the photographers would receive payment. Askold Romanov, answered my questions.

Blockchain Pricing – Will It Work In The Stock Photo Industry?

By Jim Pickerell | 1827 Words | Posted 1/12/2018 | Comments
When I first heard about a blockchain based strategy for licensing stock images it sounded like it might have some potential. What photographer wouldn’t like to be able set the price for the licensing of his/her images, have customers pay those prices, and have most of the price the customer pays immediately credited to the photographer’s account. Sounds great.

IPStock Launch Blockchain Ecosystem For Stock Images

By Jim Pickerell | 611 Words | Posted 1/12/2018 | Comments
IPStock, run by Geneva based company Intellectual Property Depository and Management (IPDM) that develops a unique fintech platform for visual digital assets, has announced the launch of pre-ICO for its blockchain registry of visual digital content copyrights.

Copytrack Comments On KodakOne

By Jim Pickerell | 421 Words | Posted 1/12/2018 | Comments
Kodak have just started their new project “KodakOne” and already their shares have skyrocketed. In 2012 it was a different story as they were on the verge of bankruptcy, but they are slowly fighting their way back with their new idea. But what’s all the hype around the new project “KodakOne”?

Kodak Announces Photographer-Friendly Cryptocurrency

By Jim Pickerell | 783 Words | Posted 1/10/2018 | Comments
Kodak and WENN Digital, in a licensing partnership, have announced the launch of the KODAKOne image rights management platform utilizing blockchain technology and KODAKCoin, a photo-centric cryptocurrency to empower photographers and agencies to take greater control in image rights management.

Copytrack’s Blockchain-based Global Copyright Registery

By Jim Pickerell | 650 Words | Posted 1/10/2018 | Comments
Copytrack, the German organization that tracks use of images on the Internet and then pursues infringers when an unauthorized use is discovered has announced that its “blockchain powered copyright registry and enforcement platform is preparing the enter the second round of the crowdsale” as a way of raising revenue for future expansion.

Will Blockchain Benefit Image Creators

By Jim Pickerell | 907 Words | Posted 12/28/2017 | Comments
Can blockchains improve tracking of stock photo sales, give creators greater control, cut costs and increase royalties? Various companies are talking about instituting such systems. Announcements are expected in the near future. Such systems may reduce the need for some of the services stock agencies currently provide and remit 80% to 90% of the fee the customer pays to the photographer.

Blockchains Are Coming

By Jim Pickerell | 480 Words | Posted 12/22/2017 | Comments
Photographers and stock agencies may want to start paying a little attention to all the news about blockchains and cryptocurrency. Promoters say that blockchains can cut out some of the middleman costs and provide a more efficient and less costly payment system between image creator and buyer. With many cryptocurrency transactions it is possible to immediately convert the currency into green backs that can be used at any local store, or hold onto the cryptocurrency with the hope that it will increase in value.