Dev.SN

Getty Images to Offer Free Photos to Combat Piracy

posted by Cactus on Saturday March 08 2014, @01:00AM   
from the gratis-is-not-the-same-as-free dept.

mattie_p writes

"Getty Images, an American stock photo agency with over 80 million still photographs and more than 50,000 hours of video in its catalog, is offering about 35 million images for non-profit use for free, according to a report from the BBC and recent changes to its terms of use, in an effort to combat piracy.

Getty Images realized that many of their photographs have been utilized in the past without attribution, and embeds the photographs in code that links back to its own site. By offering the ability to embed photos, Getty is saying it cannot effectively police the use of its images in every nook and cranny of the internet. Yet it also may use the code to serve advertisements in the future, allowing it to make revenue by sharing its catalog.

Getty has been both the plaintiff and defendant in several lawsuits regarding use of their images online. This experiment may bode well for the future of freely (as in beer) distributed intellectual property in a free and connected society, but then again, maybe not."

• No advertisements! No advertisements! (Score: 5, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Saturday March 08 2014, @04:28AM

  by maxwell demon (1608) on Saturday March 08 2014, @04:28AM (#13132)

  I thought this was a positive thing until I've read the following: "Yet it also may use the code to serve advertisements in the future"

  Sorry, but if I were to make a web site, I would want to know from the beginning whether something will introduce ads (I might even have an exclusive deal with another advertiser). So

  • either add the advertising from the start and be clear about it, so people can take that into account when deciding whether to use those images,
  • or refrain from ever introducing advertising into existing uses (there's nothing wrong with making a new offer which includes advertising, provided it is not automatically added to existing web sites).

  --
  The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.

  Starting Score:	1		point
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  Extra 'Insightful' Modifier		0
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• Re:No advertisements! (Score: 5, Insightful) by mmcmonster on Saturday March 08 2014, @06:58AM

  by mmcmonster (401) on Saturday March 08 2014, @06:58AM (#13153)

  Let's be realistic.

  Getty at least is letting you know upfront that they may add advertising at a later date. If that's an issue for you, don't use it. But at least they're upfront about it.

  Think of it as part of their Terms of Service for using their images. If you can't handle the terms, don't use the images.

  Parent

• Re:No advertisements! Re:No advertisements! (Score: 3, Interesting) by AnythingGoes on Saturday March 08 2014, @10:55AM

  by AnythingGoes (3345) on Saturday March 08 2014, @10:55AM (#13197)

  It will be a graduated scale (depending on how much you will be asked to pay).

  Step 1: First it is free.

  Step 2: Then they will embed advertisement links.

  Step 3: Then they will add subtle product placements (your Coca Cola bottle suddenly changes to a Pepsi logo, depending on whether Coca Cola or Pepsi paid more that day)

  Step 4: Creatively change other parts to make your life difficult e.g. Photoshopping a (short/bald/fat) man into an unpaid photo for man products

  Step 5: Link all requests from your site to goatse... :)

  Parent

  • Re:No advertisements! (Score: 3, Funny) by maxwell demon on Saturday March 08 2014, @02:20PM

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Saturday March 08 2014, @02:20PM (#13254)

    You forgot the obligatory steps:

    Step 6: ???
    Step 7: Profit

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.

    Parent