Page2RRS

• 20 Jan ' 13:45

  (83,000+ transparencies can be included in the deal.)

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 18 Jan ' 18:25

  Happy New Year 2012! CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR PACA BOARD - Final Notice http://www.pacaoffice.org/bylaws.shtml .  Nominations will close on January 31, 2012 and the election will be held in February 2012. Nominations & Elections Chair A Warm Welcome To Our Newest PACA Member Join us in welcoming our newest International Member: Humanline 2208-9, 22/F Tower On, Times Square Matheson Street, Causeway Bay Hong Kong Phone: +1 650.924.9902 Email: nikolay@humanline.com Website: www.humanline.com B2B Contact: Nikolay Staykov, nikolay@humanline.com Jonathan Thomas, Membership Chair Lived In Images PACA Dues By now you should have received your dues invoice for 2012.  Please contact Cathy at execdirector@pacaoffice.org or +1 714.815.8427 if you have not received your invoice or if you want to make payment plans. Your dues are the building blocks on which all our work depends.  Please pay today. Thanks. Trademark For Sale Famous niche 27 year stock library trademark that owner must sell for health reasons. Our price will be reasonable for what's involved and will reflect the value of the asset. (85,000+ transparencies can be included in the deal.) Contact Karen Hughes at +1 432.426.2777 FURNITURE DESIGNERS LOSE IN COPYRIGHT/TRADE DRESS INFRINGEMENT CASEHeptagon Creations, Ltd. v. Core Group Marketing LLC et al. Case No. 11cv01794 FACTS A design company that specializes in high-end furniture failed to establish that virtual furniture displayed on HGTV's Selling New York constitutes copyright infringement, trade dress infringement and unfair competition. The popular HGTV television show “Selling New York” features real estate brokers selling luxury apartments to wealthy New Yorkers. On January 13, 2011, HGTV aired an episode in which the real estate brokerage firm Core Group tried to sell a condo at 240 Park Ave South for nearly $6 million. In the episode, Core's CEO discusses the fact that the property is less appealing because it is unfurnished. To increase the appeal, Core contacted Heptagon Creations, a high-end furniture designer, and asked if Heptagon would consider lending Core some items from its popular “Andre Joyau” collection in exchange for the publicity it would receive as a result of being featured on the show.  Heptagon initially agreed, and provided some photographs to Core so that Core could select the pieces it wanted to use in the apartment.   Ultimately, however, the parties never came to a final agreement because Core refused to purchase an insurance policy for possible use of the real furniture. Instead, Core took the images of Heptagon's furniture and created a virtual, fully furnished replica of the apartment to show interested buyers. This included some of Joyau’s most popular furniture items such as a virtual Cocoon Chair, a virtual Cross Table, a virtual Form Table, a virtual Shimne Vase, and a virtual Sylvan Floor Lamp.  Core did not seek Heptagon’s permission to use the images or the furniture in this way. ALLEGATIONS Heptagon sued Core, the interior design firm hired by Core and an individual agent of the design firm, alleging that defendants’ use of virtual furniture in their sales presentation constituted copyright infringement, trade dress infringement and unfair competition.  Although Heptagon did submit applications for registration to the US Copyright Office, the copyright office rejected the applications “on the basis of functionality” because “the objects are utilitarian and contain no separable authorship.”  Notwithstanding this rejection, the Court made an independent determination as to copyright ability of the items at issue.  New York federal judge Laura Swain dismissed Hetpagon’s lawsuit because it failed to plead that the design elements in its furniture are physically or conceptually separable from the furniture’s utilitarian elements.  The Court explained the concepts of physical and conceptual separability as follows:            ANALYSIS Physical Separability: when a component of a useful article can actually be removed from the original item and sold separately without impacting the article’s functionality, that physically separable design element may be copyrighted.  For example, if a chair’s back was adorned with a non-structural decorative design, that design would be a physically separable element that could be copyrighted because the chair’s functionality would be unaffected by the removal of the design.  If, however, the entire chair was carved from a piece of wood, the pattern of the wood’s grain would not be copyrightable as it would be impossible to separate the design element of the grain without affecting the chair’s functionality. Conceptual Separability: this exists where design elements can be identified as reflecting the designer’s artistic judgment exercised independently of functional influences.  Courts have declined to find conceptual separability in articles whose shape-although designed to be aesthetically pleasing-is dictated to a large extent by practical considerations. CONCLUSION To adequately make a copyright case without certificate of registration, a plaintiff must   demonstrate that the design elements are physically or conceptually separable from the “functional” object—in this case, furniture—itself.  Using these concepts as a guideline, the court analyzed each of the nine items of furniture at issue and determined that the designs elements were neither physically nor conceptually separable. Similarly, Plaintiff’s trade dress claim failed because the furniture wasn't shown to be anything more than functional, and Heptagon could not show that the trade dress had acquired secondary meaning. WHAT IT MEANS Be wary as to the use of seemingly innocuous background items in images, television shows and films. A piece of furniture or jewelry that is a focal point contains separately copyrightable elements, you may need to clear use or replace it.  This case is important because it highlights how our American copyright laws differ from the European copyright laws.  Unlike our American system, some countries in Europe afford copyright protection to what we consider to be functional items such as clothing design, furniture and jewelry, and photographers who license their photographs internationally must be wary of use of images containing those items outside the United States.  A photograph featuring background furniture presents no issues when used in the US may not necessarily be immune from a claim if a designer has a foreign certificate of registration in the “functional” item and the image is used abroad. SOPA and Protect IPfrom the Copyright Alliance Both pieces of legislation have been under attack and have been misrepresented with mischaracterizations and rhetoric that have distorted the facts.   This legislation is about promoting and and protecting American jobs and American consumers and about ensuring the Internet as a safe and lawful tool for all.  The bills are narrowly targeted at offshore websites that are primarily designed or created to offer complete copies of infringing works for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain.  These sites are trafficking unlicensed, unregulated and unsafe products to U.S. consumers.  Taking action against criminal activity is not stifling free speech, and it will not “break the internet”.  People should take a look at what the bill actually does. Some myth breakers: SOPA is an extreme bill that would destroy the Internet The new version of SOPA prohibits courts from requiring DNS redirection and forbids the interpretation or application of the law in a way that harms the Internet. The technique of DNS filtering is already in use and has not harmed the Internet. Only cases brought by the Justice Department can result in domain name filtering. SOPA would let the Government and right holders shut down websites without any due process Rogue sites legislation requires compliance with Rule 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which includes detailed procedures for issuing all types of injunctions, including notice and opportunities to be heard in court.  Any criticism of the due process protections is with existing court processes, not rogue websites legislation. DNS blocking is censorship like countries like China. Rogue sites legislation is a viewpoint-neutral enforcement of international IP standards through a fair judicial process.  None of those things can be said about foreign political censorship. The definition of “rogue sites” is vague. The definitions of a rogue site under the Senate and House bills use clearly defined, high standards, which already exist in current law.  These bills do not change the definition of what is counterfeit or infringing; they merely provide the tools law enforcement needs to stop foreign criminals. If a person uploads one infringing copy, a whole website can be taken down. A domain name can be filtered by a court only if that website is dedicated to infringing activity as demonstrated by willful actions of the owner or operator of the website.  A single infringing copy uploaded by a user would not trigger domain name filtering. Rogue website legislation could shut down YouTube, Facebook, etc. The new version of SOPA explicitly applies only to foreign domain names, not U.S. domain names ending in (for example) .com, .net, or .org.   Even foreign versions of American companies’ websites would not be covered because they do not meet the bill’s requirement that the site be “U.S.-directed". Rogue sites legislation is a trial lawyer’s dream. The action authorized in this bill is very limited in that it provides only the ability to prevent ongoing theft, but gives a plaintiff NO opportunity to recover damages or any money from a rogue website at all. STUDY ON REMEDIES FOR COPYRIGHT SMALL CLAIMS Nancy Wolff and Cathy Aron have been working closely with an ad hoc committee of visual arts organizations, including American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), Graphic Artists Guild (GAG), Professional Photographers of America (PPA), and North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), and American Photographic Artists (APA) in response to the call for comments from the Copyright Office on the subject of a small claims court for copyright infringements.  Although each organization is filing its own comments, we all generally support each other’s efforts and the same overall goal: A system that allows fair, speedy and economically affordable access to legal enforcement of copyrights for all copyright holders, irrespective of the economic impact of any particular infringement. More specifically, we seem to desire a number of specific steps toward achieving that goal. The ability to bring a claim without the need of legal representation, in a forum that is cost effective and that does not require expensive travel or other out-of-pocket costs or expert fees. The ability to have a claim adjudicated timely by a tribunal that is knowledgeable about copyright. In the event that the process is not binding on a defendant once elected by a plaintiff, provision for incentives to discourage a defendant from rejecting the alternative forum and forcing a claim to be brought in a federal court of general jurisdiction; and A resolution of a claim that offers finality and ease of enforcement of any judgment. You can find a copy of PACA’s Initial Comments ALAMY APPOINTS NEW VP OF SALES FOR NORTH AMERICABrooklyn, NY Pioneering stock photography agency, Alamy, has recruited Adam Goldberg as vice president of sales for North America. Adam is leaving the post of director of corporate development at Corbis to join the company at the start of January. Adam Goldberg commented: “Alamy has proven itself a tremendous resource for advertising, marketing and publishing professionals the world over. I'm excited to join the Alamy team and look forward to bringing its combination of amazing photography and client-focused services to the broader North American market." Rachel Wakefield, Alamy’s head of sales said “Adam has a high calibre 20 year career in the stock photo industry and brings a wealth of experience which will be vital to our ambitious sales plans for the USA." Alamy first opened its Brooklyn office in 2009 and is achieving 30% annual growth in the US market. CORBIS APPOINTS 25-YEAR INDUSTRY VETERAN AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTSSeattle, WA Corbis Images, a leading visual content and services provider for the creative and entertainment communities, recently named Edie Tobias as Senior Vice President of Commercial Products. Based in Los Angeles, Tobias will be responsible for leading the Commercial product group and growing the Corbis and Veer businesses globally. Edie has both the deep knowledge and strategic vision to lead the next phase of Corbis’ Commercial offering,” said Gary Shenk, CEO of Corbis. “Her proven track record and market success in the visual content business will help evolve and expand our core competencies.” Prior to her SVP position, Tobias served as Vice President of Media Products at the Company. Previous to this, she served as Vice President of Creative Content at Jupiterimages. She began her career at Sharpshooters Premium Stock Photography and Footage where she was President and joined Corbis as Director of Photography in 2000 after the acquisition of that company. “I’m thrilled to become part of the senior management team as Corbis moves into this next phase of growth and expansion of services,” said Tobias. The entire Commercial Products team has worked extremely hard to prepare for this launch and I am honored to lead them.” DESIGN PICS INC. ANNOUNCES THE ACQUISITION OF FIRST LIGHT Design Pics announces the acquisition of First Light Associated Photographers Ltd., a Canadian based photo agency. The agency was originally founded in 1984 by Pierre Guevremont, Ron Watts and Brian Milne. Founded in 2001, by Rick Carlson, Design Pics originally launched as a Royalty Free agency.  The company began its expansion into the Rights Managed marketplace by acquiring the Irish Image Collection in 2007, followed in 2008 by the acquisition of the controlling interest in Axiom Photographic, a UK based RM agency specializing in unique travel imagery.  These acquisitions were augmented as well by RM Collections developed by Design Pics in cooperation with its contributing photographers as well as the most recent acquisition of Pacific Stock earlier this month. Rick Carlson, President of Design Pics states that “I have been very interested in First Light for some time, as they have been well established in Canada, and have a very comprehensive collection of Canadian content from leading Canadian photographers.  When combined with Design Pics content, it will encompass one of the most extensive libraries of Canadian subject matter available anywhere.”  Pierre Guevremont, President of First Light states “It is a critical time in the industry and it is important to build value and strength while creating efficiencies. We felt that Design Pics was an excellent opportunity going forward, because of the strength of their distribution systems and the technologies they have developed to sustain the network.  They are in position to build upon the systems in a way that benefits photographers and ensures they are going to be a player in the new marketplace." In addition to the acquisition of First Light, Design Pics has also entered into a management agreement with WAVE Royalty Free, which is an affiliated company to First Light.  Design Pics will be distributing the WAVE royalty free imagery along with its own RF collections, as well as adding the footage components to its overall offerings. HOW’S STOCK PHOTO EXPO-REACH 3,700 DESIGNERS!Boston, MA Sign up for the Stock Photo Expo at the 2012 HOW Design Conference by January 31 to get the BEST rate and a FREE AD on our eNewsletter that is sent to 35,000 designers! The Stock Photo Expo at the HOW Design Conference is the single best way for you to sell DIRECTLY to  3,500+ design professionals—and it’s the most effective use of your 2012 marketing budget. Stock Photography EXPO Boston, MA Friday, June 22 • 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM Join us for the 5th annual Stock Photography Expo, presented in conjunction with PACA! HOW Conference attendees PLUS attendees from The Dieline Packaging Design Conference, the InHOWse Managers Conference and The Creative Freelancer Conference will visit your table throughout the day on Friday, June 22, providing ample opportunity for them to interact with you. EXPO EXHIBITORS RECEIVE Table and two chairs on which to display materials from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm in the HOW Conference registration foyer Electricity and Internet service are available for an additional fee SPECIAL OFFER for PACA Members: As a member of PACA, you can participate in the Stock Photography Expo for just $1,750 (regularly $2,000). No other event brings together this many experienced, influential buyers of stock photography. In fact, for 60% of attendees, this is the only event they attend each year. There’s no time to wait—space is starting to sell out! Sign up by January 31 and we’ll include your banner ad in our eNewsletter sent to 95,000 designers. Make plans to join us in Boston on June 22 for the 2012 HOW Conference Stock Photo Expo. We’ll start promoting your stock photography today! For more information on exhibiting at the 2012 HOW Conference Stock Photo Expo in Boston, contact Elayne Recupero at +1 267.247.5874 or elaynerecupero@gmail.com SPLASH NEWS EXPANDS PRESENCE IN I-PICTUREMAXXMunich, DE Splash’s market-leading offering of candid celebrity photography and extensive collection of exclusive portraiture, red carpet and archival entertainment content will now be made available to buyers in the English speaking market via i-picturemaxx. The i-picturemaxx media network represents the only independent, neutral and professional search engine of its kind.  In response to the inefficiency that researchers are confronted with when navigating thousands of disparate websites, users can now search over 500 M digital assets (photos, video, audio, text) in one simple to use interface called my-picturemaxx. Several new agencies in the UK have also joined i-picturemaxx like Goff Photos, Big Pictures, Barcroft Media, Camera Press, ISO Images, Future Media, Eyevine, Caters, Cavendish, Guardian Syndication, Magnum, National Geographic Stock, Optic Photos, Pacific Coast News, Press Association, Planet Photos, Solarpix, SWNS, Xclusive. Current my-picturemaxx buyers can access the new Splash News material automatically. New buyers/researchers whom are interested in using the my-picturemaxx software can get in touch with picturemaxx directly. “Since 2007, picturemaxx has provided Splash News with a valuable marketing/sales channel to the German speaking market,” said Tom Tinervin, Managing Director of picturemaxx international. “With broad adoption of the my-picturemaxx research application in the United Kingdom, I am pleased that Splash News will now make their highly sought after content available to UK buyers.” “We are pleased to expand our relationship with picturemaxx to the UK market,” said Kevin Smith, President of Splash News and Pictures. “The tools of picturemaxx have provided an invaluable extension of our outbound sales opportunities for many years in the German speaking market and we look forward to the same success in the UK. Previously buyers were able to access Splash through IDS but as of January 2012 Splash will no longer participate in IDS.” In the beginning of 2012 media content of Splash News will be made availabe via the i-picturemaxx network for UK buyers. THE BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY ANNOUNCES REPRESENTATION OF A NEW COLLECTION OF TITANIC IMAGES The Bridgeman Art Library, the world’s leading source of fine art, cultural and historical images available for reproduction, is delighted to announce its representation of the Father Brown Photographic Collection, a valuable chronicle of life onboard the Titanic before tragedy struck 100 years ago. In 1985, a collection of 42,000 photographs – among them, remarkable images and mementos of the Titanic – was uncovered in a Dublin basement. They were the work of a Jesuit Priest named Francis (Frank) Browne, who held passage on the first legs of the Titanic’s maiden voyage. While on board, an American millionaire offered to pay his way through to New York, but Browne’s Jesuit superior providentially ordered his disembarkation in Ireland. After the tragedy in April 1912, Browne’s photographs appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world, as the sole visual chronicle of the Titanic’s passage from Southampton to Ireland before its doomed voyage to New York. Father Browne's negatives lay forgotten for 25 years after his death in 1960. It was by chance that a fellow priest discovered Browne's amazing collection in a large metal trunk and brought the negatives to the attention of the London Sunday Times, who dubbed them “the photographic equivalent to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.” The Father Brown Photographic Collection contains his series that started at Waterloo Station with the departure of the “Titanic Special,” documenting the activities of passengers and crew aboard the ship, concluding with the anchor being raised from the water for the final time and the last known shot of the Titanic as she left port.      © Fr Browne SJ Collection/UIG/Bridgeman Art Library Kim Tidwell Marketing Manager, North & South America Bridgeman Art Library 65 East 93rd Street New York, NY  10128 T: 212.828.1238 F: 212.828.1255 www.bridgemanart.com VENUS STOCK LAUNCHES AGENCY BUILT ON BEAUTY, HEALTH & WELLNESS! Los Angeles, CA Venus Stock (www.VenusStock.com) a leader in premium Beauty, Health & Wellness stock imagery, opened the doors of their first U.S. office this week in Los Angeles, CA. Along with the launch of their online image library, the new offices include studio space for production and an expansive, global distribution partnered with other leading agencies. Founded with today's health-conscious consumer in mind, Venus Stock has gathered a global network of award-winning photographers and creatives to provide high-end image solutions that go far beyond a pretty image, but include custom solutions along with a gamut of support services. In addition to branding and artistic direction, Venus Stock supplies premium, rights-managed imagery to the multi-billion-dollar medical, pharmaceutical and health industries. "Our specialties are that we live what we offer, and each and every photographer, videographer, and model is deeply entrenched in the aspects of this new, cultural phenomenon that they capture. They live this lifestyle, and exude this consciousness. That is why our imagery is perceived as powerful and different," said Victoria Hulett-Gross, Venus Stock's Creative Director, producer, and former model with 20+ years of experience in the medical aesthetics field. "We're thrilled to be the first agency that specializes in beauty, health, and wellness content. We've curated only the best images so that buyers in this emerging market can quickly find what they need." Victoria explained, "Not all images are created equal. The exploding aesthetic industries have very specific demands that an average 'good' image can't meet. I am taking what I have learned over the last decade and turned it into an irresistible formula for our sophisticated clientele." For additional information: office@VenusStock.com www.VenusStock.com 323/743-8001 VISUAL CONNECTIONS CHICAGO 2012 Kick off your 2012 marketing campaign by booking a table or advertising (print or digital) at Visual Connections Chicago on April 26th. Seize this opportunity to meet buyers in the second most important US market after New York.* Exhibit space is available from $1,125, advertising in the show guide from $315, and on-screen from $120 (after PACA member discount, which is valid until March 16). Book now to select from the best exhibit spaces and to receive maximum pre-event publicity. First time exhibitors: we offer a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee or a 10% discount. “The overall quality of everything from qualifying the attendees to the exhibitors to the hospitality. It's hard to find and this event has it.” — Sherie Presta, Sherie Presta Creative * Details for Visual Connections New York 2012, on October 24th, will be announced later this month. EPSON INTERNATIONAL PANO AWARDS 2012 New York, NY We would like to announce a call for entries for The EPSON International Pano Awards 2012, dedicated to the art of panoramic photography. Earlybird entries close 20th April 2012. This is the third year of the awards, and we are pleased to announce an exhibition of the winners and highest scoring images at the PMA Photo Imaging trade show in Melbourne, May 2012, and more than US$25,000 in cash and prizes. See the The EPSON International Pano Awards website for more details. Kind regards, David Evans Curator

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 18 Jan ' 13:52

  1/18/2012 AURORA PHOTOS ANNOUNCES THE ADDITION OF A NEW VP SALES Dreamstime, a leading stock photography community, announced today that it saw consistently strong growth throughout 2011, solidifying its place as a global leader in the stock photography market. Since 2007, Dreamstime’s customer base has grown from 350,000 to the more than 4.2 million customers it boasts today. With this rapid growth, Dreamstime has positioned itself as a major supplier of high quality digital images at incredibly low prices with the second largest community of registered stock image users. On Sunday 18th December Norman Lebrecht presents a Radio 3 documentary on Barbara, demonstrating how a wartime childhood and an abusive father helped create the most powerful French stage performer since Sarah Bernhardt. Taking part are Nana Mouskouri, Roberto Alagna, Martha Wainwright, the head of the French prime minister's office, the last of her lovers and the dressmaker who only used black. For more information, visit

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 01 Jan ' 04:33

  © 2012 Picture Archive Council of America. All rights reserved.

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 19 Dec ' 20:26

  Your Ad Here

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 16 Dec ' 17:01

  12/16/2011December 16, 2011 From the PACA Staff and Board As the year ends, we think about all we are grateful for. Our relationship with you is one thing we treasure. Thank you for your continued support of PACA.  We wish you Happy Holidays and much success in the New Year! Best Practices Committee Dear PACA members: I am pleased to announce that PACA has openly endorsed the Embedded Metadata Manifesto put forth by IPTC.  You can learn more about EMM If you are a website owner and want to express support for the Embedded Metadata Manifesto you may do so by adding an EMM-button to your web pages, please click here Why is the EMM important to you? The professional photo industry has been hamstrung by rapidly changing best practices attributed to the transition from analog to digital and thus the ‘digital age.’  Often producers and distributors alike have found it difficult to keep pace with the best practices that ensure copyright, credit and information authenticity that guarantee ownership and protection of your assets as they travel the digital world.  Likewise ‘end users’ have also struggled with the rapid digital transition and often are ill equipped or worse yet uninformed about what their responsibilities are relative to usage of your assets through their workflow phases. In its essence, the EMM promotes the dissemination of this valuable best practice.  “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step;” it is our collective responsibility to be knowledgeable and furthermore educate those that we come in contact with if we wish to achieve a greater result. Please find more information below that comes directly from the EMM site and spread the word. Best regards, Tom Tinervin PACA Best Practices Committee Chair How metadata should be embedded and preserved in digital media files Photographers, film makers, videographers, illustrators, publishers, advertisers, designers, art directors, picture editors, librarians and curators all share the same problem: struggling to track rapidly expanding collections of digital media assets such as photos and video/film clips. With that in mind IPTC proposes five guiding principles as the "Embedded Metadata Manifesto": Metadata is essential to describe, identify and track digital media and should be applied to all media items which are exchanged as files or by other means such as data streams. Media file formats should provide the means to embed metadata in ways that can be read and handled by different software systems. Metadata fields, their semantics (including labels on the user interface) and values, should not be changed across metadata formats. Copyright management information metadata must never be removed from the files. Other metadata should only be removed from files by agreement with their copyright holders. More details about these principles: All people handling digital media need to recognize the crucial role of metadata for business. This involves more than just sticking labels on a media item. The knowledge which is required to describe the content comprehensively and concisely and the clear assertion of the intellectual ownership increase the value of the asset. Adding metadata to media items is an imperative for each and every professional workflow Exchanging media items is still done to a large extent by transmitting files containing the media content and in many cases this is the only (technical) way of communicating between the supplier and the consumer. To support the exchange of metadata with content it is a business requirement that file formats embed metadata within the digital file. Other methods like sidecar files are potentially exposed to metadata loss. The type of content information carried in a metadata field, and the values assigned, should not depend on the technology used to embed metadata into a file. If multiple technologies are available for embedding the same field the software vendors must guarantee that the values are synchronized across the technologies without causing a loss of data or ambiguity. Ownership metadata is the only way to save digital content from being considered orphaned work. Removal of such metadata impacts on the ability to assert ownership rights and is therefore forbidden by law in many countries. 5: Properly selected and applied metadata fields add value to media assets. For most collections of digital media content descriptive metadata is essential for retrieval and for understanding. Removing this valuable information devalues the asset. Editorial Relations Committee Editorial Toolkit Now Available The Editorial Relations Committee is pleased to announce that the Editorial Toolkit is now available on the PACA website (http://www.pacaoffice.org/library_legal_guide.shtml). The committee has been working to find options for resolving some of the issues that have been and continue to be discovered with licensing to editorial publishers.  Our goal is to find a suggested solution that will help avoid litigation.  While we continue to reach out to the editorial publishers and hope to develop recommended solutions, we understand that this is a long process and PACA members need help with editorial licensing now. The Toolkit is a guide to help you discover the scope of some of these issues and possible ideas for beginning individual discussions toward a resolution.  In addition we have tried to layout some information that may help reach a decision on the best plan of action for your business, whether it is to enter into settlement discussions or litigation. This is an ongoing project and we welcome input. If you have suggestions on things to add to this document please email Editorialrelations@pacaoffice.org with ER Toolkit in the subject line.  As a working document, you will also want to check back regularly for updates. We hope you find this Toolkit helpful.   PACA Nominations & Elections Chair FROM THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE BLOG Who owns the copyright for that book, song or photo you want to use? — Making pre-1978 Copyright Office records more accessible by Mike Burke From 1870 to 1977 there were 16.4 million works registered in the Copyright Office.  Many are still under protection of the Copyright law.  During that same time, the assignment or transfer of rights was recorded for more than 1.7 million works.  So how do you determine if a particular work is still under copyright and who the owner is?  The answers are in the paper and microfilm records in the Copyright Office.  The goal of the Copyright digitization and public access project is to convert these records and to make them widely available online via the web. As with many historical records, the public records of the Copyright Office do not exist comprehensively in one set or in one format. Rather, for any particular research, there may be several kinds of records that will together show the history and provenance of a copyrighted work. To obtain the most complete and most reliable information, these records must be consulted in combination. There are five primary sets among the 1870 to 1977 records: Copyright Record Books containing the early records of copyright ownership Bound volumes containing applications for copyright registration Copyright Card Catalog Published Catalogs of Copyright Entries (CCE’s) Copies of documents pertaining to transfer and assignment of copyrights Copyright records are not only a reference to works that are or were under copyright protection but also an irreplaceable piece of Americana. The records provide a perspective on the evolution of our great nation from its very founding to the present day. Preservation and increased availability are strong arguments for digitizing the records and the digitization priorities of the Office must reflect the priorities and expectations of the public and the value of the records for their use. The technology now exists to convert the non-digital records of the Copyright Office and to make the information widely available through electronic access. There is growing interest both within and outside the Copyright Office to apply this technology to these records sooner rather than later.  Through this blog we hope to receive your thoughts and ideas so that we can present the records online in a way that will best suit your needs. Copyright Small Claims Court The Copyright Office is undertaking a study at the request of Congress to assess whether the current legal system discourages copyright owners from pursuing copyright infringement claims that have relatively small economic value (small copyright claims”); and to make recommendations to improve the adjudication of these small copyright claims. The Copyright Office is seeking comments on how copyright owners have handled small copyright claims, the obstacles they have faced, as well as potential alternatives to the current legal system which requires copyright claims to be adjudicated in federal court. Comments are due by January 16, 2012. PACA in coordination with the Graphic Artists Guild, The American Society of Media Photographers and the Professional Photographers of America has begun initial discussions regarding a response to the inquiry. The organizations support the effort of the Copyright Office to examine how copyright owners can effectively enforce copyright claims that might not have sufficient economic value to justify the time, expense and attorney fees involved in pursuing a copyright claim through the federal court system. PACA supports a system that would deter infringements, offer copyright owners an effective remedy against infringers, and encourage licensing of copyrightable works. Without an effective means for copyright owners to obtain remedies for these small copyright claims, there will be continued erosion of creators’ rights  when the infringer knows that the cost of pursuing a claim does not justify any potential damages that can be collected. The issues involved in constructing an alternative dispute system that retains constitution requirements such as a jury trial is complex. We are examining the options that would enable copyright owners to elect to bring a claim using a form of alternate dispute resolution that would permit the copyright owner to… bring a claim without the need of legal representation, that is cost effective and does not require expensive travel, costs or expert fees have a claim adjudicated timely by a tribunal that is knowledgeable about copyright; and offers finality and ease of enforcement of any judgment. Anyone interested in commenting on this topic on behalf of the PACA should contact Nancy Wolff. Rogue Site Legislation Congress is in the midst of marking up amendment to the Stop Online Piracy Act. More information will follow. For up to date information, you can check the Copyright Alliance Website.  www.copyrightalliance.org. Aurora Photos ANNOUNCES THE ADDITION OF A NEW VP SALES Aurora Photos is pleased to announce that Andy Hill has joined the company as Vice President of Sales. Aurora Photos, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Portland, ME, remains one of the premier, independent photo agencies. From Aurora’s New York City offices, Hill will oversee global sales. After almost two decade of working with only rights managed photography, Aurora’s visually dynamic style now includes royalty free from all the top providers, as well as it’s own outdoor and lifestyle RF, the Open collection. Most recently, Aurora launched the myPhone collection of camera phone photography alongside a new licensing model called Easy Rights Managed. Aurora’s archive has grown to well over a million images as they continue to expand their offerings. Hill, with his more than 15 year of experience in the stock photography business, will be responsible for helping lead all aspects of stock sales and grow the Aurora Photos sales team. Most recently he worked as VP of Sales and Marketing for PhotoLibrary. He also served as VP of Sales at Punch Stock and Director of Sales at AP Images. At Aurora he will also play a role in marketing. “We are extremely excited to have Andy join our team,” exclaims José Azel, founder and president of the company, “ Aurora Photos has made some fine strides in the last few years and we need a strong leader to help continue driving our growth. Andy brings an incredible amount of sales knowledge and experience to our management team and, in addition, has a great sense for marketing. We are lucky to have him.” In addition to representing over 350 elite photographers for the commercial and editorial sectors for stock, Aurora’s New York office also contains NOVUS SELECT, an assignment representation and multimedia company that handles a unique roster of storytellers who have exceptional vision and skills with both still and motion. Contact: Andy Hill Vice President, Salesahill@auroraphotos.com 212/995-1900 ext. 116 DESIGN PICS INC. ANNOUNCES THE ACQUISITION OF PACIFIC STOCKEdmonton, AB Design Pics Inc., headquartered in Edmonton, Canada announces the acquisition of Pacific Stock, a Hawaii based photo agency. The agency was originally founded in 1987 by Barbara Brundage. Design Pics was founded by Rick Carlson in 2001.  The company initially produced and distributed Royalty Free imagery through a worldwide network of marketing partners.  The company began its expansion into the Rights Managed marketplace by acquiring the Irish Image Collection in 2007.  This was followed in 2008 by acquiring the controlling interest in Axiom Photographic, a UK based Rights Managed agency specializing in unique travel imagery.  Design Pics has also internally developed three additional Rights Managed collections in cooperation with its contributing photographers. Rick Carlson, President of Design Pics states that “I selected Pacific Stock as Design Pics’ next acquisition because of the stunning photography that Pacific Stock offers, it’s in-depth coverage of the Pacific Rim, and the fact that the imagery so perfectly complemented the rights managed imagery in Design Pics’ existing collections.”  Barbara Brundage states “I am very excited for the opportunity through this acquisition for our Contributors to enjoy a much broader base of distribution, and for our clients who will now have a world of images to choose from.  Much like Pacific Stock, Design Pics is a like a family, and I am happy that our staff will become an integral part of their operations." Barbara Brundage will be maintaining a consulting relationship with Design Pics to assist with special projects that she had initiated, and that Design Pics is interested in building upon. DREAMSTIME REPORTS RECORD YEAR WITH MORE THAN 4.2 MILLION CUSTOMERSNashville, TN Dreamstime, a leading stock photography community, announced today that it saw consistently strong growth throughout 2011, solidifying its place as a global leader in the stock photography market. Since 2007, Dreamstime’s customer base has grown from 350,000 to the more than 4.2 million customers it boasts today. With this rapid growth, Dreamstime has positioned itself as a major supplier of high quality digital images at incredibly low prices with the second largest community of registered stock image users. Dreamstime celebrated another milestone this year: the website’s 12 millionth photo uploaded by a contributor. Since its inception in 2004, Dreamstime’s collection of images has grown more than 400 times. This means community members have access to one of the largest stock image collections in the world, including more than 300,000 free images. Unlike other websites, Dreamstime editors carefully review and approve all images submitted by the community’s photographers to ensure every image is risk free for customers to download. With image downloads occurring once every three seconds, it is clear that the variety of images is driving customers to purchase from the website. “Above all else, Dreamstime respects and supports its members, making a point to be engaged, listen and communicate directly with us. Their customer service is always professional and friendly, and they go the extra mile to ensure any issues or questions are solved quickly,” says Mandy Godbehear, a Dreamstime photographer. “Because of Dreamstime’s dedication to its community, I know, as a photographer, that my portfolio and my interests are in good hands.” Always looking to leverage new technology for the benefit of its artist contributors, Dreamstime implemented a variety of features dedicated to meeting customer needs and enhancing value over the last year. Recognizing an opportunity to help its large and active community protect their images and also educate customers about image copyright, Dreamstime introduced Infringement Reporter. An industry first, this tool streamlines the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notification process and provides contributors a quick and easy way to notify website owners when they are misusing a photo. Focusing on the needs of its global customers, Dreamstime also started offering geo-tagged images using Google Maps and Google Earth. Now contributors are able to precisely add a location to images, streamlining the search process for designers  creating materials with a certain geographical or tourism focus. “People across the globe are turning to Dreamstime for their imagery needs and we pride ourselves on providing each customer with a seamless experience,” said Serban Enache, CEO of Dreamstime. “This is an important milestone for Dreamstime, and to serve our fast growing customer base, we remain focused on developing and enhancing offerings and solutions that drive additional value for everyone.” BARBARA IMAGES FROM LEBRECHT MUSIC & ARTSLondon, UK Continuing our newsletter's French theme, we bring images of the iconic singer, Barbara (Monique Serf 1930 -1997), one of the French 3 Bs. Together with Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens, she revived the art of French chanson as a bastion against the onslaught of 1960s pop music. Her greatest hit, L'aigle noir, sold a million copies in 12 hours. When she died, thousands stood for hours at her grave singing, Dis, quand-reviendras-tu (so, when are you coming back)? She was the first female singer to write her own material and the first to address the scourge of aids. In France she is a legend, abroad she is forgotten. On Sunday 18th December Norman Lebrecht presents a Radio 3 documentary on Barbara, demonstrating how a wartime childhood and an abusive father helped create the most powerful French stage performer since Sarah Bernhardt. Taking part are Nana Mouskouri, Roberto Alagna, Martha Wainwright, the head of the French prime minister's office, the last of her lovers and the dressmaker who only used black. For more information, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0185bdk. To view a selection of images, click on the adjoining image: MARY EVANS REPRESENTS THE LONDON FIRE BRIGADE ARCHIVELondon, UK Mary Evans Picture Library, the UK's leading resource for historical images is delighted to announce representation of the London Fire Brigade archive, a major collection tracing the history and heritage of the LFB from the late 19th century to the present day. The archive holds extensive documentation of the fire service in London and is a fascinating record of the development of fire-fighting equipment and techniques and of the history of the brigade itself. The London Fire Brigade can trace its origins back to 1666, when in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London, insurance companies established their own fire brigades with a view to limiting damage caused by future fires. In 1833, the insurance offices amalgamated to form the London Fire Engine Establishment presided over by the pioneering Chief Officer, James Braidwood (who sadly lost his own life in the Cottons Wharf fire in Tooley Street in 1861). A new chapter was written when, in 1866, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade was created, with the responsibility for fighting fires passing from private insurance companies to the state. Under the eagle eye of Captain Eyre Massey Shaw, the number of stations and recruits increased, as did the technology employed by the new Fire Brigade. Shaw's first act after taking control was to purchase six new steam fire engines, while the introduction of fire alarms and wireless telegraphy speeded up response times. The worsening political climate in the 1930s led to the formation of the Auxiliary Fire Service in January 1938, a volunteer organization to supplement the Fire Brigade in the event of war. Women were accepted into the service for the first time, and the AFS proved invaluable throughout the Blitz. The first batch of over 2000 images from the archive includes many evocative photographs of fire-fighting during World War Two, as well as horse-drawn fire engines and other early equipment. There are also interesting scenes of the destructive 1936 fire when the Crystal Palace was burnt to the ground, while modern photography brings us right up to the 21st century, with the attempted rescue of a whale stranded in the Thames in 2006 of particular note. More material will be added online regularly from the hundreds of thousands of negatives and prints in the London Fire Brigade Archive. "We are very pleased to be the exclusive picture agency representing the London Fire Brigade, " says, Paul Brown, Managing Director of Mary Evans Picture Library. "Their vast holdings not only cover almost every aspect of fire-fighting over the years, but offer an alternative perspective on some of the most significant historical events in the capital over the past 150 years. The addition of the London Fire Brigade collection to our library continues our commitment to bringing unique and specialist archives to a wider image buying audience". VISUAL CONNECTIONS CHICAGO: BOOK NOW, PAY JANUARY We know many agencies are considering exhibiting in Chicago but want to pay for it out of next year’s budget. If that’s you, there’s no need to wait! You can book and choose your table now, and pay nothing until January. Simply drop us an email after you’ve booked to let us know you’d like to pay in 2012, and we’ll change your invoice date to January 3rd, 2012. Exhibit space is available from $1,125, and advertising in the show guide from $315. Event date is Thursday, April 26th immediately preceding the ASPP meeting. Book now to select from the best exhibit spaces and to receive maximum pre-event publicity. Our event offers: One-on-one contact with hundreds of image buyers. Great incentives for buyers to attend, including a keynote seminar, prize drawing, and free beer and wine from 4pm. No hidden extras: furniture, internet, power, show guide entry, unlimited refreshments and access to the buyer registration list are all included. Complimentary gallery listing in our Image Sources directory, the most comprehensive in the industry. First time exhibitors: we offer a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee or a 20% discount. Past Chicago exhibitors range from some of the biggest in the industry to the smaller specialized: Corbis, Bridgeman Art Library, Shutterstock, Blend, Stockfood, National Geographic, Alamy, AP Images, Custom Medical, Everett Collection, Lonely Planet Images, Schumann & Company and many others. “I liked the setting, intimacy of the show. I felt that I could really carry on a conversation with the reps. It was so informative, and really opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to imagery, and vendors.” — Dawn Pope, Sourcebooks, Inc. or contact Deborah Free at +1 585 768-7880 / deborah@visualconnections.com ASMP CONTINUES SUPPORT FOR YPA The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has announced that it awarded a two year grant to the Young Photographers Alliance (YPA) to continue its Mentoring Program during 2012 & 2013, and that ASMP's Education Director Susan Carr will join YPA's Executive Board. ASMP has supported the Mentoring Program since its launch in 2010. This year's mentoring project, which will be on display to the public January 12th through 20th, 2012  at the Calumet Gallery in New York, sent 15 teams comprised of 60 talented college students and emerging photographers along with 25 professional photography mentors, to cities including Beijing, Toronto, Los Angeles and London, to find unique and inspiring perspectives on the meaning of “energy” as it affects us in the 21st century. According to ASMP Executive Director Eugene Mopsik, "We at ASMP believe that the establishment of mentoring programs for young photographers is critical, and will ultimately contribute to the long term viability of our profession." In 2010, the ASMP Foundation became a Major Founding Sponsor for YPA with its support of $50,000 for the development and launch of  the mentoring program. Deborah Free, Treasurer of YPA said, "We are thrilled to have ASMP continue to play an instrumental role in YPA's growth and development, and we look forward to the expertise Susan brings to our Executive Board. Her dedication to the advocacy and education of fellow photographers will undoubtedly benefit the organization." Carr is the first non-founding member of the YPA Board of Directors. Founded in 2009, YPA is an educational foundation dedicated to bringing together the resources of the creative community and general public to inspire, educate and empower talented young photographers entering the profession.  YPA supports young talent by building a global community connecting emerging photographers with established professionals, benefiting both groups. YPA provides opportunities for advancement through college scholarships and the annual mentoring program. ASMP is the premier trade association for photographers, providing members with all the tools, information and support needed to run successful photography businesses. Over 7,000 strong with chapters throughout the country, ASMP members are recognized as a community of forward-thinking professionals. The ASMP Foundation's mission is to support the educational purposes and activities of the Society. More information about ASMP is available at http://www.asmp.org/ To find out more about YPA or to make a contribution to the foundation, go to http://www.youngphotographersalliance.org/.

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 01 Dec ' 13:13

  Call for Nominations The current term of the PACA Executive Board will terminate on April 30, 2012.  As we prepare to elect a new Executive Board in February of next year, the Nominations and Elections Committee is calling for nominations for the following offices: Qualifications and Duties for each office are listed in the PACA Bylaws (sections 6 and 7) found on the PACA website at http://pacaoffice.org/bylaws.shtml. .  Nominations will close on January 31, 2012 and the election will be held in February 2012. This is your opportunity to get involved with your trade association.  Feel free to nominate yourself for one of these positions. Senate's Protect IP Act The PROTEST IP ACT is an important piece of legislation that will help fight online piracy for sites that are dedicated to piracy. This does not include YouTube, eBay etc. , it is for true rogue websites that are in the business of dealing with pirated goods. The anti-copyright forces have branded this bill as censorship. The rhetoric surrounding the bill is exaggerated and misleading. The Copyright Alliance has prepared information that explains the real facts. When you see blogs and articles railing against the Protect IP Act or SOPA, as the bill is called in the House, you can respond in favor of the bills by using the facts on this site. You can also write your congressman and show support. http://blog.copyrightalliance.org/2011/11/the-facts-on-the-stop-online-piracy-act-due-process-for-all-stakeholders/ This is an important piece of legislation for our industry.  DO NOT STAND IDLE.  Write letters, get involved.  The future of copyright is at stake. Postmark Press Inc. 16 Spruce Street Watertown, MA 02472 Phone: 617.924.3520 Email: ksa@postmarkpress.comwww.postmarkpress.com B2B Contact: Kathryn Alpert, ksa@postmarkpress.com   The PACA International Conference was held in New York again this year in October and had its most brilliant educational programme yet. The two days were packed with interesting seminars, all under the heading “The Bigger Picture: New Ideas From The Innovators" by UTE KREBS, AKG IMAGES The first keynote speaker was the Director of Photography at the New York Times Magazine, Kathy Ryan, a very inspirational speaker who gave an overview of the type of photography used in the magazine. They use all types of work, sometimes on assignment, sometimes an organised photo shoot or agency material. It was very heartening to hear her enthusiasm for good photography and willingness to give unusual ideas a try. Her main emphasis when choosing an image or a whole concept was story-telling and it certainly showed in the examples she showed. The website of the magazine provides additional material, both moving and still photography. A good start and the next speaker, Tom Kennedy took us through a whirlwind tour of the changing media landscape which he is himself very familiar with. He has worked in the past for National Geographic as well as The Washington Post and so experienced first-hand the changes that have becoming ever faster in recent years. He confronted the challenges we all face in a world where supply of images has gone through the roof whereas the audience time and attention span has shrunk. He offered some interesting ideas on how to meet those challenges, above all reinvention and lack of fear! After lunch it was Gail Mooney’s turn to inspire and move us with the story of her project film “Opening Our Eyes”, a documentary about individuals changing their world for the better. Gail made the film with her daughter on a shoestring budget, using social media and non-traditional methods to find new ways for distribution and revenue. Her film has been extremely well received and the bits we saw where very inspiring. The first legal session in the afternoon was given by Sandra Aistars, Executive Director of the Copyright Alliance. She gave a thorough overview of the changing in copyright legislation in the US. Sunday’s sessions were started off by James Pierson, responsible for safety and risk management at Linden Lab, the creators of Second Life. I admit the concept of Second Life seems a little bizarre to me but it is of course also another market for images and innovative distributors are making the most of it. Pierson has to make sure that intellectual property rights are not violated even in a virtual universe and he gave an interesting overview of different types of copyright infringements as well as how best to handle the perpetrators. Next was the first panel discussion on numbers and analysis, how best to use analytical tools to improve your business and especially adept to the needs of the customers. In a similar vain the second panel discussed the use of social media and its tangible and intangible benefits for the company. Everyone feels that they should use Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs but how many of us really use them to our advantage? An important issue raised – it can not be done in a half-hearted way! Two more sessions, both panel discussions on the use and creation of motion as well as increasing submissions by contributors and how to handle the large numbers round off an extremely well-balanced programme. To me the PACA International Conference is a firm date in the calendar, I find the sessions inspiring and informative—I would recommend it to anyone! Abu Dhabi Int'l Book FairMar 28-Apr 2, United Arab Emirates CEPIC CongressMay 15-18, London Vergara Hermosilla v. The Coca Cola Company, No. 11-11317 (11th Cir. Nov. 3, 2011) Be careful what you write in emails—a common refrain that lawyers say to their clients, and with good reason after a recent decision out of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals which has jurisdiction over federal cases originating in the states of Alabama, Florida and Georgia.  Copyright lawyers know that Section 204(a) of the Copyright Act provides that a transfer of copyright ownership (or any exclusive rights) is not valid unless an instrument of conveyance, or a note or memorandum of the transfer, is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights conveyed or by such owner’s duly authorized agent.  The 11th Circuit has recently struck a blow to that requirement by lowering the bar on what passes for a valid transfer of copyright ownership. Background The case decided by the 11th Circuit arose out of Coca Cola’s marketing campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, in which the ubiquitous beverage company used Rafael Vergara Hermosilla’s Spanish language adaptation of the song “Celebration Mix.”  Sometime later, a dispute arose over Vergara’s compensation for the adaption.  In the process of settling the dispute, Vergara wrote an email to Jose Puig, a representative of Universal Music Latin America who had assisted Coca Cola in creating the “Celebration Mix.”  The email stated: [B]ecause I am a man of my word and honor, that is not moved by economic motives, my only request is the my credits are respected as producer and adapter of the Spanish version (that every time the name of any composer of this version appears, my name appears as adapter), and obviously, the credits for the production that are detailed in the invoice sent for this production, which I have detailed below. For the adaption, you may consider it a work for hire with no economic compensation to that respect. I believe what’s legal is a dollar. I hope this leaves clear what my work was and what my good intentions were from the beginning. The next day, Puig responded by email to Vergara to the effect that “You can count on the credits on the track. I am resending you the contract.” Following this correspondence, Universal Group assigned its copyright interest in Vergara’s adaptation to Coca Cola, stating in the assignment contract that it had acquired the copyright from Vergara.  Puig also sent Vergara draft contracts confirming the assignment, but left out the provision that would have given Vergara the credits he requested in his email.  Taking issue with this omission, Vergara sent Puig another email stating that he was “revoking” his “proposal” to settle the dispute over compensation in exchange for receiving credits.  Vergara then sued Coca Cola in the Southern District of Florida for copyright infringement and to prevent them from using his Spanish language adaptation of the “Celebration Mix” unless Vergara was given the credits. The district court ruled in favor of Coca Cola’s motion for summary judgment on the grounds that Vergara agreed to sell his rights for a dollar so long as he received credit for his contribution and Puig accepted.  In other words, despite the emails’ apparent failure to comply with the signed writing requirement under section 204(a) of the Copyright Act, the district court found that the email exchange constituted a valid assignment of Vergara’s copyright in the Spanish language adaptation of the “Celebration Mix.”  The district court further stated that Vergara’s subsequent revocation of the “proposal” did not affect his initial offer to assign his copyright, which was accepted by Puig in his reply email. In regards to the signed writing requirement of Section 204 of the Copyright Act, the district court simply noted that “Courts have found emails to constitute signed writings.” 11th Circuit Decision In a succinct opinion, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s decision to rule in favor of Coca Cola’s motion for summary judgment.  The Court of Appeals ruled that, even though Vergara and Puig intended to formalize their agreement in a written contract, this “does not denote that they did not intend to be bound immediately by their . . . written negotiations.”  The court further stated that “the record established without dispute that Vergara assigned his copyright interests to Universal.” Discussion Notably, this decision was extremely short. The court made no distinction between the requirements for accepting a contract under state contract law and the federal statutory requirement of a copyright transfer under Section 204 of the Copyright Act which requires an instrument in writing signed by the owner of the rights conveyed or such owner's duly authorized agent. A valid contract requires an offer, acceptance of an offer and consideration. A signed writing is not a required element for most contracts. It seems unlikely that other circuits would necessarily follow this case. However, since this is an Appellate decision in the 11th Circuit, it may be wise to include a disclaimer on the e-mails of those engaged in licensing of copyright interests, stating that no transfer of copyright is effective by e-mail and a  formal written agreement must be entered into. AURORA LAUNCHES MYPHONE COLLECTION AND EASY RIGHTS MANAGEDPortland, ME Aurora Photos is excited to announce the launch of the myPhone Collection of stock photography, a collection of images taken with iPhones and other mobile devices by some of the world’s top photographers and iPhoneographers, and now made available to pictures buyers for both editorial and commercial licensing. To coincide with the launch of the myPhone Collection, Aurora is also introducing a new modified Rights Managed licensing model called Easy Rights Managed. The model offers simple, quick, broad, and managed rights at reasonable prices. “Camera phone photography has become such a vital part of our visual culture today. We are excited to be able to offer the finest examples of this kind of imagery to clients and build a collection that will be seen as singular, contemporary and fun.” states Aurora’s President Jose Azel. To establish the foundation of the collection, Aurora solicited camera phone images from its worldwide base of top editorial and commercial photographers. Aurora then partnered with the Facebook group iPhone Photo Pros, a diverse group of photographers ranging from professionals to amateurs who have an unyielding passion for iPhone capture and application processing. The group includes National Geographic Photographer Dewitt Jones and iPhone photography instructor and guru Teri Lou Dantzler. “The iPhone is the ultimate digital sketchpad enabling the photographer to create and experiment in any situation,” explains photographer Dewitt Jones, “The astounding quality of the lens and processor and the number of post production apps available allows the photographer unlimited creativity to generate images fully ready for hundreds of professional uses.” The myPhone Collection will be licensed using Aurora’s new Easy Rights Managed licensing model. Customers simply indicate the industry and territory of the use, and then select one from just a handful of choices that defines the use and duration of license. “Easy Rights Managed is a simple and accessible licensing model that maintains a sales history and still allows for exclusive licensing,” explains Aurora’s Director Karl Schatz. “It’s a perfect fit for a collection of images like myPhone.” The myPhone collection is open to all photographers who would like to submit their images. A quick and easy online agreement gives any photographer the ability to submit a photo by simply emailing it straight from their phone. Interested photographers can visit: http://www.auroraphotos.com/myphone/submit/ New photographers that sign up and submit by November 30, 2011 will automatically have their photos entered in a myPhone photography contest being judged by the iPhone Photo Pros group. "Personally I never imagined that my iPhone images would be considered by a stock agency,” says iPhone photography guru Dantzler, “The fact that Aurora realizes the potential of these little jewels is very exciting.” “Aurora is the first stock agency to offer such a collection,” adds Jones, “The first to realize the impact that iPhone images are making on the country and the world, and the first to understand the multitude of ways they can be used by buyers of stock photography”. MASTERFILE LAUNCHES NEW $10 COLLECTION Toronto, ON Masterfile, a global leader in stock image licensing, has added 1.5 million budget-friendly photos and illustrations to its website at www.masterfile.com, complementing its large collection of premium rights-managed and royalty-free images. The new collection, labeled as “$10 RF”, includes the entire image collection of Crestock – a microstock business acquired by Masterfile in 2010. The $10 Royalty Free images are available in low-resolution for web and mobile applications and are presented under a separate tab in Masterfile’s search interface to make it easier for clients to search for images based on price. The Crestock collection is crowdsourced from amateur and professional photographers and illustrators around the world. Now any search on the Masterfile website can produce a $10 RF result with a single click. Likewise, Masterfile’s powerful search features like Image Upload, SimSearch™, Visual Pairing and Color Search work beautifully within the budget collection. Says Masterfile President, Steve Pigeon: “Global demand for quality low-priced images is insatiable. Now, with the launch of this new collection, Masterfile has something for everyone – and all on one platform – from $10 RF to global exclusives!” THE GRANGER COLLECTION ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF 35,000+ IMAGES FROM GERMAN PICTURE ARCHIVE ULLSTEIN BILD More than 35,000 images highlighting European politics, the arts, entertainment, and lifestyle from ullstein bild, Germany’s oldest picture archive, are now available at The Granger Collection’s website, www.granger.com.  Based in Berlin, ullstein bild holds one of the most significant collections of historical imagery in Europe, covering the ancient past to current events. The origins of ullstein bild date back to 1900, when the archive was established to preserve the images used in Leopold Ullstein’s newspaper publishing company, Ullstein Verlag.  Through the 1920s, the archive compiled a vast collection of photographs from countless Weimar Republic photographers as photojournalism was emerging.  During World War II, the archive temporarily evacuated Berlin to escape the air raids and was one of the fortunate few German image resources that survived the war intact and relatively unharmed. To the present day, ullstein bild has accumulated a comprehensive and unparalleled image collection of the Third Reich and World War II, in addition to many other aspects of European history and Middle Eastern political and social issues. Lila Dlaboha, Managing Director of The Granger Collection notes, “We have been partners with ullstein since 2004, and we are still uncovering its highly diverse historical content and rich contemporary offerings.”  Ms. Dlaboha points out, “Ullstein’s strength lies not only in its vast file on the Third Reich—they are also an excellent source for pan-European pop culture and lifestyle, personalities, and environmental issues that beg for both editorial and creative use.” A selection of ullstein bild images may be viewed by clicking here. WORDS ARE TIED TO PICTURES NOW MORE THAN EVERPhoenix, AZ It’s my belief that a picture is still worth a thousand words. Those who are thriving in today’s marketplace understand it’s essential to discover and be found on thousands of keywords used by image seekers to locate that perfect picture. Therefore, your library must be found on the top of search engines for keywords that publishers, editors and advertisers use to locate your business and see what it has to offer. I assure you with great certainty there are cost-effective ways to promote your image library to niche and/or large audiences alike. Smart strategies are developed in collaboration. Together we will define your brand’s offerings, business differentiators and, of course, best inventory online to develop digital marketing plans. Let nearly a decade of experience with PACA and more than 20 years within the stock photography industry go to work to help your brand thrive in the ever-competitive and changing marketplace. I offer digital marketing for the photo industry with expertise including: Paid Search Enhancement Search Engine Optimization Visitor-Friendly SEO Copywriting Landing Page Optimization Press Release Writing Website Content Development To find out more about how I can help develop your digital marketing picture please email Kevin at kevaron@gmail.com.

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 30 Nov ' 16:14

  12/1/2011December 1, 2011`

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 16 Nov ' 11:10

  Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP A Warm Welcome To Our Newest PACA Members Join us in welcoming our newest General Members: Country Photographer 51 Bowery Street Picton, ON K0K 2T0 Phone: 613.476.1167 Email: phil@philnorton.com Fax: 613.476.1167 Website: www.countyphotographer.com B2B Contact: Phil Norton, phil@philnorton.com BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY ANNOUNCES REPRESENTATION OF THREE U.S. MUSEUMSNew York, NY The Bridgeman Art Library, the world’s leading source of fine art, cultural and historical images available for reproduction, is delighted to announce its representation of three major U.S. collections: the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Phillips Collection and Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. One of the foremost art institutions in the United States, the Philadelphia Museum of Art began as a legacy of the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and was opened as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art. Today the collection contains 225,000 works from the Western world and Asia, including encyclopedic holdings of costumes, textiles, drawings, prints and photographs. The American collections are among the finest in the country and include the largest body of Thomas Eakins work in existence, Elsa Schiaparelli’s iconic mid-20th century fashions, and an impressive group of paintings by Charles Wilson Peale and his descendents. The museum’s European holdings are no less impressive, with one of the most comprehensive collections of armor and arms in the West, a noteworthy group of 17th century Dutch paintings and a large group of sculptures by Auguste Rodin bequeathed to the city in 1926. Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2011, The Phillips Collection in Washington was American’s first museum dedicated to modern art. Established by Duncan Phillips and his mother, Eliza, the museum was a memorial to his father and older brother, who shared Duncan’s interest in modern art. Quite possibly the most significant piece in the collection, is Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party. Phillips purchased the painting in 1923, believing that it would inspire visitors to come to the museum, saying “Such a picture creates a sensation wherever it goes.” Today, the collection includes over 3,000 works, ranging from masterpieces of French Impressionism and American Modernism to contemporary art. In addition to the sensational Renoir, other highlights include half of Jacob Lawrence’s 60-panel Migration Series which shed light on the migration of African Americans from the South to the North in between the World Wars, and works by Mark Rothko, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Georges Braque, Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin and many others. Also in Washington D.C., the Corcoran Gallery of Art is a major center for historic and contemporary American art. Founded with the lofty goal of ‘encouraging American Genius,’ the Corcoran’s extensive collection contains over 16,000 works comprising historic and modern American art, contemporary art, photography, European painting, sculpture and decorative arts. Particular strengths are Hudson River School painting, French, Dutch and British painting, and artworks from post-war period artists such as Willem de Kooning, Ellsworth Kelly, CY Twombly and Richard Diebenkorn among others. Contemporary art is at the core of the museum’s mission and the Corcoran Gallery encourages modern European and American artists by showing and purchasing their work, and pays particular attention to local artists in the Washington area. "Through Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party and Ground Swell by Edward Hopper, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Phillips Collection and the Corcoran Gallery of Art hold some of the most iconic works of art in western civilization,” said Ed Whitley, President of Bridgeman’s North American offices. “We are delighted to have been chosen to represent these preeminent U.S. art institutions as we continue to expand the extensive offering of North American collections whose images Bridgeman makes available for licensing.”

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

• 15 Nov ' 21:41

  11/15/2011November 15, 2011` From Our President Rob Henson Dear Members, I’d like to thank you again for your participation in our 16th annual conference. PACA’s superb programming proved once again that a more relevant series of speakers and presentations cannot be found within our industry. Kathy Ryan (NY Times Magazine) provided a presentation of best of class imagery she’s been involved with, giving background stories and emphasizing how challenging producing rich media week after week can be. Tom Kennedy (Syracuse University) expanded the scope of our understanding visual media, human relationships, and how they inform each other in mapping out future business trends. Sandra Astairs (Copyright Alliance) brought to our attention the critical work of our legislators in congress, and policy developments that impact how we conduct our business. In addition to the quality of programming, I was also struck by the diversity of presenters and speakers and their backgrounds; from technologists to business leaders, they all encompassed an innovative spirit that both inspired and informed. We have seen tremendous progress the past few months on member initiatives. PACA has launched its “rogue” website list, which is a list of websites that host unauthorized imagery from our members. We encourage you to send any potential infringing websites to ethics@pacaoffice.org, for inclusion into the list. Just yesterday, PACA was alerted to a website that openly used imagery from a variety of sources (most likely our members) without attribution and potentially without compensation. Once properly vetted, we will add this site and encourage our members who have imagery to contact them. The rogue website list is shared publicly, so including any instance of websites that opening distribute imagery without member authorization assists in our ability to vocalize the effect of piracy on our industry. In addition to the site list, at the conference I shared some highlights of PACA’s piracy survey. This will be posted on our website in the coming weeks, along with a public long form draft of the survey results. Sharing the impact of piracy to our industry is central to PACA’s position in education and promoting the interests of our industry. I would like to thank all PACA’s officers and staff for their efforts in producing a successful conference, and in particular Nancy Wolff, Esq. from Cowan DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard, LLC, for all of her added efforts the past few months. Nancy and her firm provide PACA with unparalleled support and guidance on our initiatives; including our Editorial Relations committee and US copyright office work. As we move into the holiday season, be sure to take the time to engage your PACA board and members. We need your assistance in voting for new positions, and also contributing to our key committees and sharing articles for our website. Our community has a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and we’re eager to hear your voice. Kind regards from Seattle, Rob Call For Nominations Cheryl DiFrank The current term of the PACA Executive Board will terminate on April 30, 2012. As we prepare to elect a new Executive Board in February of next year, the Nominations and Elections Committee is calling for nominations for the following offices: President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Four (4) Members at Large Qualifications and duties for each office are listed in the PACA bylaws (sections 6 and 7) found on the PACA website at http://pacaoffice.org/bylaws.shtml. All nominations should be sent to the Nominations and Elections Committee Chair, Cheryl DiFrank at cheryl@scphotos.com. Nominations will close on January 31, 2012 and the election will be held in February 2012. This is your opportunity to get involved with your trade association. Feel free to nominate yourself for one of these positions. Contact me if you have any questions. Cheryl DiFrank, Stock Connections Nominations & Elections Chair Cheryl@scphotos.com PACA CONFERENCE 2011—THE BIGGER PICTURE: NEW IDEAS FROM THE INNOVATORS Cathy Aron We'd like to thank all of the attendees for your contribution to this year's event and for helping make it a huge success! It's your presence and your enthusiasm that makes this all worthwhile. We hope you were as pleased as we were with the quality of the sessions, the hotel, the food, the networking space and all the other aspects of the meeting. So far, most all of the comments we've received have been very positive and we truly appreciate the feedback. If you haven’t already filled out your post-conference survey, please do so. Your comments help us to be responsive to your needs in the future. Events like this don't happen without a lot of hard work from a lot of people. A special thank you to Ruth Ritzema and her committee for a flawless conference from start to finish. Thanks to Robert Henson, the PACA President, for his leadership. Another shout-out to Lee Torrens, Microstock Diaries, for putting together three of our excellent panel discussions. And a big thank-you to all our speakers, moderators and panelists whose contributions were above expectations. Many of you were able to attend the highly informative sessions, but for those that couldn’t, the videos are available here: http://vimeo.com/album/1733159. You should have received a password for accessing the videos. If you don’t have it, please contact me. To Morgan, my amazing assistant, whose work is always stellar, thanks for watching over the attendees so well. To Doug Dawirs, thanks for making the AV for each session so seamless. And again, to all of you, thank you for your support of PACA and our conference. If I was unable to get around to you personally, I hope you know how much we appreciate each and every one of you. We look forward to seeing you all next year. Look for the information about next year’s location in the coming months. Cathy Aron PACA Executive Director MANY THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS CONFERENCE SPONSORS Sessions Sponsors: 20/20 Software and Capture Ltd UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPEAs Reviewed by Jim Pickerell in Selling Stock At the recent PACA International Conference in New York internationally-known visual journalist Tom Kennedy discussed the “Changing Media Landscape.” Kennedy was Managing Editor for Multimedia at The Washington Post, Director of Photography for the National Geographic Magazine, and Assistant Graphics Director at The Philadelphia Inquirer before taking up his current position as Alexia Chair Professor for Documentary Photography in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. In order to understand how things have changed he reminded the audience of what media was like in the 20th century (not that long ago). Journalism used to be governed by the “Economics of Scarcity.” There was a limited amount of information and the compilers had time to sort through, check facts and find the truth. The cost of setting up and maintaining distribution outlets effectively limited their number, and it gave publishers control over what content would be accepted for distribution to the public. Then along came the Internet. Publishing is free. Instantaneous delivery 24/7 is expected. Everyone is a content creator. There is an abundance of information. Special skills are no longer required, often leading to confused, inaccurate information being widely distributed. There is little time for fact checking. Attention spans are shorter and shorter. The only scarcity now is in the time consumers have to sort through their mostly free options. The core problem publishing used to solve—the incredible difficulty, complexity, and expense of making something available to the public—has stopped being a problem. Kennedy referred his listeners to the work of Clay Shirky, consultant and teacher on the social and economic effects of Internet technologies. His recent books are Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations (2008) and Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age (2010). The big problem for traditional media is that it is supported by advertising. Advertising in print, TV and radio used to be the only way companies could get their message to consumers. But it is very inefficient. Narrowly targeted and trackable digital advertising has the potential to be much more efficient for certain advertisers. Shirky points out that in an effort to protect their franchises, media companies have tried a number of things, with very limited success. Giving away of some content for free and charging for other stories has proved unpopular. Consumers want everything online to be free despite the fact that they are willing to pay for the delivery of printed materials. Some consumers are willing to pay small amounts for online access to content that is specifically targeted to their needs unimpeachability and convenient to access. People resist education on the copyright laws because they desire free access. Ferocious litigation has not constrained massive, sustained lawbreaking. Suing people who love something so much they want to share it only alienates them. Hardware and software manufacturers do not view copyright holders as allies. Their goal is to sell product. To do that they strive to give customers what they want. Shirky says, “One of the effects (of the Internet) on newspapers is that many of their most passionate defenders are unable, even now, to plan for a world in which the industry they knew is visibly going away. If the old model is broken what will work in its place? The answer is Nothing. There is no general model for newspapers to replace the one the Internet just broke. “With the old economics destroyed, organizational forms perfected for industrial production have to be replaced with structures optimized for digital data. It makes increasingly less sense even to talk about a publishing industry, because the core problem publishing solves — the incredible difficulty, complexity, and expense of making something available to the public — has stopped being a problem,” Shirky continued. Adapting to the Change Stock and editorial photographers are in the communication business. Kennedy outlined six purposes of communication: Information, Entertainment, Persuasion, Education, Individual Creativity and Facilitating Social Good. He called DSLR’s a “game changer” and said that “visual journalists will use multimedia to present stories crucial to the audience.” There will be more demand for video with audio that provides immersive narrative, character development, chronology and action. Audiences will find the information they want not just in print, but on iPads, iPhones, Android, social networks, set top boxes (Apple TV, TIVO, DVR), websites, YouTube and other yet to be designed devices. There are over 500 million users on Facebook Twenty-year-olds get more of their news from social networks than from traditional sources. They rely on their social contacts for validation or what is news worthy. Worldwide, 48 hours of new video is uploaded to YouTube every minute of every day. 1.095 trillion YouTube videos are viewed each year. A very small, but growing percentage of that material is of professional quality, but it is enough to supply an important part of the information needs of many. Among the future online journalism activities will be: Blogging Take/edit photos Record/edit audio Record/edit video Write/voice video narrative Build photo galleries Build audio slideshows Edit email newsletters Edit/send news alerts Post/edit online stories Manage web news flow Build/edit databases Manage UGC networks Moderate UGC comments/photos/video Moderate live chats It is not clear what the compensation will be for any of these activities. In addition to Selling-Stock, Jim’s stories are available at www.PhotoLicensingOptions.com. If you sign up for the Free weekly update (every Saturday) you will get a listing of all the new stories published that week and can pay by the story to read those that interest you. (If you read everything he writes the subscription is cheaper.) Changes In The Windby Pat Hunt Whenever technology, the economy, or the entire social norm endures change, the whole picture industry flows right along with the change. It remains current, vital and fully aware of customer needs and demands. New ways of addressing these changes became clear at the recent PACA International Conference in New York City (Picture Agency Council of America/pacaoffice.org). Seven top global attendees expressed their place in the industry today, and their visions for a successful future. Masterfile (masterfile.com) hangs their star on a designer friendly website optimized for fast and creative image searching. Geoff Cannon, Executive Vice President based in Toronto, and Tomas Speight, Senior Vice President of International based in Dusseldorf, get excited about demonstrating their full range of rights managed and royalty free high quality content on the latest version of their website, rolled out in July. Their mandate is to have a premium environment for business to business. Their philosophy is, “Great work made easy,” and their goal is to allow the client to save time and find a better picture. “Customizability and innovative search and display are the key assets of the site,” says Tomas. An art director can have a balance of search results, similars and previews while viewing them all equally. There are five different sizes of thumbnails available, allowing the user to optimize their viewing environment. Pictures can be dragged and dropped into the shopping cart or a lightbox, and new similar images are available in that lightbox when it is reopened, giving constant access to the most current material. The site also allows for multiple search tabs to be viewed next to each other. There is a Color Search, offering instant results for any color scheme that might need a match. There is an Upload and Find feature, which allows any picture to be uploaded and matched or aligned with a similar. The Visual Pairing feature allows a search for two things at once. For example, images of a mother and child can be matched to look like they belong to the same family. There is also an automatic similar search, allowing a combination of diverse concepts to be matched for a design need. Each member of the PACA Conference has a reason that they attend these conferences. Geoff, a PACA Board member, says, “Face to face is still powerful. It’s always good for us to be in personal touch with partners. It’s important to network and to share ideas of both the challenges and the opportunities facing our industry.” Associated Press (ap.org and apimages.com) is the new guy on the block. Jonathan Mars is the Partner Development Manager for AP Images. AP is changing with the industry by making a push into stock photos. Jonathan says, “People think of AP for news, politics, entertainment and sports. We are very good at covering those topics, especially breaking news.” Now they hope to offer clients more value when they come to the site. Since they have done deals with the National Football League and the NCAA, they have a new type of client coming to the site. AP now works with such collections at Image Source, Blend Images, PhotoAlto, Ojo, Glow Images, and some rights managed collections. They have made a lot of upgrades to the site to improve search criteria and to more easily find content. For decades, AP used to think of itself as a member-owned newsgathering cooperative serving the member needs only—its core mission. Now, with a great marketing team in place for the commercial photo division, they are a full service agency. Their market is global, and they have access in a lot of countries that others don’t. As for the future, Jonathan says, “We have certain core values that we adhere to. We will keep those values as we branch out. We are an editorial company doing some different things. When big events happen around the world, AP is always the first one there. The price of doing that causes us to expand into other business models.” He further adds that AP prides itself on its reach. They cover every game in sports, and have unprecedented access all over the world because of the network of stringers. They are up to date on what is happening second to second. Alamy (alamy.com) is another company that seems nimble enough to keep changing with the times. James Allsworth, Video Content Executive, explains that Alamy is the world’s largest online searchable collection of images. They have 26 million images, 28 thousand photographers, and 590 agencies that contribute images, adding about 15 thousand images a day. James says that their main ethos has not changed. They are very photographer friendly, and they give fair deals to all contributors. They also focus on making the customer experience easy and very fast. Their vast collection includes content from emerging photographers, seasoned professionals and world renowned picture agencies. Their editing process has remained the same – they do not edit from a content point of view, but only from a technical point of view. According to James, “Who are we to decide what will sell and what will not sell?” ‘Expanding’ is how Alamy is meeting the challenges of today. Their New York office started recently with five people and now it’s up to fifteen. They launched in Germany in May 2011 with their first German language version of their site and a German speaking customer service and sales team. They are also expanding their direct sales operations further afield and have recently recruited senior business development and sales staff in Australia and the Middle East. They just launched a live news service and have a news team that sends images to the news desks. This is already proving to be very successful. Alamy is also expanding in video footage. This service will launch in 2012 with all types of subjects covered. They are launching with a simplified licensing model, as customers are looking for more flexibility in the rights they are granted when acquiring the content they need. Also, Alamy is very unique in that 89% of its profits go to charity, and it supports a medical research lab right in its own offices. James feels that attending the PACA Conference adds huge value in just putting faces to names. Business is going very well, and connecting with partners is always an asset. Avenue Images (avenue-images.com), of Germany, is the “one stop shop for royalty free images. Joachim Koutzky, the founder, says they offer all the major collections of RF imagery, along with some specialty collections. They distribute mainly to German, Austrian and Swiss clients. His pricing reflects the current range of offering in RF globally, starting with 20 Euros for easyFotostock and going up to the main brands priced between 80 and 600 Euros. Joachim is branching out into some edited and specialized brands of rights managed to try new markets. They have been able to resist the microstock market and still grow, as they give personal and quick service with a focus on one stop shopping. Joachim says, “We have account executives that will spend as much time with the customer as he/she needs.” Time is an important element in serving the customers. Ninety percent of their customers are agencies. They don’t get involved in the editorial side of the business. Therefore, they are not affected by any decrease in price for the news and editorial market. Also they are adding 50 thousand video clips, which, he says, is very new to the German market. The wisdom of Avenue Images is that good imagery needs to be offered at a fair price, and needs a good distributor to promote it. Joachim feels that changing with the speed of the market is important. He travels four or five times a year throughout Germany to visit customers and discover their needs first hand. As for the PACA Conference, Joachim says he has been in this business for twenty years, and the need to say hello to friends continues to be important. Networking and face-to-face visits give you more information than you can get any other way. ageFotostock (agefotostock.com) is a frequent participant in PACA events. Alfonso Gutierrez has been the CEO for 38 years, and they have offices in Barcelona, Madrid, New York and Paris. Alfonso started as a photographer, with publishers asking him to find them images in the UK market. He says that’s how AGE got started, as he had to shoot and research for clients. That endeavor grew into a full agency. He started in the early ‘70s, and branched out late in that decade with an alliance with FPG. By 1992, the AGE hosting platform (The THP) started digitizing images by testing the Photo CD developed by Eastman Kodak. By 1996 he developed their first website. Previous to the year 2000, they processed 1.5 miles of duping film per day. In 2000 they closed that system and started scanning every transparency. AGE reads like a history lesson in the stock industry. Also in 2000, they started a full e-commerce system and opened their office in New York City. Needless to say, 2001 slowed down some progress, with their building in New York having to close for a while with the 9/11 event. Alfonso describes, “I have an image in my mind of Broadway with no traffic, silent except for the noise of people walking.” Temporarily, communication with Spain disappeared. After that, they uploaded everything to their hosting platform and started to invite small image suppliers to host their high resolution imagery on this system in order to work with clients, and to save them the overhead of the new technology downloads. AGE represents all forms of still imagery, and is building their footage inventory this year. Alfonso says that popular footage subject matter is everything ‘Green.’ Green technology of all kinds—conservation, protection and new energy production are popular subjects. Also requested are clips of anything that represents business—meetings, handshakes and business people talking. PACA is important to AGE because they have the New York office. Providers want to talk to them, and Alfonso is always a great panelist in some of the excellent PACA seminars. Alfonso’s most important comment of the day, “I think that a tragedy of our industry is not incorporating photographers in a very active manner. We have to create a triangle to include the photographers.” Microstock does a better job of this, and AGE is striving to achieve that goal of good contributor stats and instant available information. Picture Alliance GmbH (picture-alliance.com) was represented by Edith Stier-Thompson, Managing Director, and Peter Stroh. Edith says they are the number one in Germany for picture sales. They have 18 million images, as well as video clips, infographics, and illustrations. Their inventory covers creative, editorial and historical images. Their market is global but their core focus is Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They do not offer microstock. Picture Alliance maintains their pricing by offering quality work and more exclusivity with their partners. They are also growing their historical content, which is very valuable to the publishing market. They have a growing request for footage and now offer twenty thousand clips on such material as creative, food, historical, entertainment, and aerials. Assignment photography is a growing field for them. They can manage the quality and design resources on all levels, offering a deeper connection to their clients. Also, partnering with German sports associations gives them the opportunity to work with the sponsors when they need photography. They come to the PACA conference to forge relationships that build over time. They feel that one of its values over CEPIC, the European equivalent, is that it is smaller, so individual meeting opportunities are enhanced. According to Peter, “We have a huge archive, a good spirit and a great team." Corbis Images (corbisimages.com) is the master at keeping up with the times. Jason Brown, Director of Media Partners, says Corbis licenses media across the board, from motion to still images covering news, sports, entertainment, editorial, historical and commercial product. They have offices in New York, London, Paris, Germany, Italy, China and Australia. This year Corbis is transforming the media part of the organization, which includes news, sports, and entertainment. Next year they will focus on the commercial side of the business. The transformation of Veer, to focus on the price conscious volume customer, has been very successful. According to Jason, “The intent of the transformation was to give more people the tools to create. It is about inspiring the Creative in everyone and offering the tools do great work regardless of budget.” Corbis is represented at PACA because of the networking opportunities with both the North American and the European partners. But, according to Jason, “The educational conferences at PACA are the best in the industry. If you miss the sessions, they are now available online.” Corbis also works closely with PACA on the legal side. They are very active in chasing infringements of their contributor content. Realizing that it is a transformative time for the industry, Corbis feels that the customer is of prime importance. “A product needs to be built around the needs of the customer. Identify those needs and fill them.” (Pat Hunt is a writer and workshop leader for the stock photo industry, and Managing Director of Huntstock.com in Boston, in partnership with Mark Hunt, Creative Director. Huntstock is a lifestyle image and footage production company specializing in People with Disabilities, Elder Lifestyle, Industry/Technology and Boston Icons. Mark has been featured in magazines for his iconic travel photography, and for the community being built around Positive Lifestyle with Disabilities. pat@huntstock.com.) A Warm Welcome To Our New PACA Member Join us in welcoming our newest General Member: Photo Researchers, Inc. 307 Fifth Avenue 3rd Floor New York, NY 10016 Phone: 212.758.3420 Toll-Free: 800.833.9033 Email: info@photoresearchers.com Fax: 212.355.0731 Website: www.photoresearchers.com B2B Contact: Bug Sutton, bug@photoresearchers.com Buzz Aldrin Grounded Famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin recently attempted to block Topps Company from releasing a set of historical trading cards that incorporate Aldrin’s name, likeness and image. Aldrin brought the suit in a California Federal Court alleging violations of California’s common law and statutory rights to publicity, amongst other claims. The cards in question include the famous “Visor Shot” image of Aldrin on the outside of the cardboard box packaging, a mission card, and a “signature cut” card which contains original signatures taken from other documents. The cards are a subset of an “American Heroes” collection which also includes well-known politicians, actors, athletes, scientists and events. Aldrin’s claim was rejected on the ground that the cards are protected speech relating to a public issue, and are therefore safeguarded by the First Amendment. The court distinguished this situation from prior cases where the use of a prominent person’s name or likeness was found to constitute unprotected commercial speech. It focused on the fact that the cards convey information about historically significant achievements, propose no commercial transaction, and are not advertisements for any related or unrelated products. Additionally, the court reasoned that the “Visor Shot” on the outside packaging is simply a “mere adjunct” to the cards themselves, and therefore does not constitute an advertisement. As a result, the court granted Topps motion to strike Aldrin’s complaint. The case is currently being appealed. COPYRIGHT OFFICE IDENTIFIES PRIORITIES FOR NEXT TWO YEARS The United States Copyright office released a summary of their priorities over the next two years with respect to copyright policy, administrative practice, and improving the quality and efficiency of its services. While it is an ambitious list, below is a brief summary of the most relevant issues. Studies Small Claims Solutions For Copyright Owners: The Copyright office is conducting a study looking into alternative means of resolving copyright infringement claims that involve minimal amounts of monetary relief. Mass Book Digitization: A study and analysis identifying key issues related to mass book digitization. The analysis addresses the current landscape and marketplace; methods to facilitate digitization projects, including collective licensing; and the implications for prior studies and proposals to address orphan works and section 108 library and archive exceptions in the digital age. Legislative Work Rogue Websites Congress is exploring ways to provide more effective legal tools to address online infringement by rogue websites. Potential solutions would make it possible for the U.S. Attorney General (and possibly copyright owners) to obtain various court orders including injunctions to cease the infringing activity, orders to credit card companies and advertising agencies to cease providing services to the rogue websites, and orders requiring domain name server operators and search engines to cease directing end users to websites. Orphan Works The Copyright office is continuing to provide analysis and support to Congress on this issue. Previous legislation had stalled after parties in Authors Guild v. Google Inc., 770 F.Supp.2d 666, 677-78 proposed a settlement agreement which had implications for orphan books. However, the court rejected the settlement and ruled that the disposition of orphan works belongs with Congress, not the courts. Priorities in Administrative Law Practice Review of Group Registration Options: The Copyright Office is examining registration accommodations for groups of related works, both with respect to the revision of existing options and the development of new group registration options. The market transition from distribution of discrete tangible copies to online access and dissemination models raises important questions about the extent to which the Office should accommodate aggregated claims, recurring updates to compilations, the fees necessary to process and examine group claims, and the ways in which the Office can create a meaningful public record of group claims. Areas of focus include automated databases and electronic serials. Special Projects Revision of the Compendium of Copyright Office Practices: On October 1, 2011, the Office commenced a major revision of its compendium II: Copyright Office Practices. The project includes updating examination and recordation practice and corresponding regulations for purposes of consistency, as well as developing certain new practice for the registration and deposit of works of digital authorship consistent with Office regulations and case law. The revision process includes opportunities for stakeholder review and input. The revised Compendium will also include practices relating to the Office’s Licensing division. Public Outreach and Copyright Education: The Copyright Office staffs a public hotline on copyright and experts on the staff speak frequently at symposia and workshops in the United States and abroad. The office is in the process of building a business plan for copyright education, including opportunities for on-site exhibitions, events and collaborations, with the goal of implementing a series of new education projects. COPYRIGHT OFFICE WEIGHS IN ON MASS DIGITIZATION Legal Issues in Mass Digitization: A Preliminary Analysis and Discussion Document The United States Copyright Office constructed a preliminary analysis and discussion document which addresses the issues raised between copyright law and the mass digitization of books. The document begins by providing an overview and background of Authors Guild v. Google Inc., 770 F.Supp.2d 666 (S.D.N.Y. 2011).It then proceeds to discuss the landscape for the mass digitization of books, including relevant issues effecting mass digitization stakeholders, the nature of existing mass digitization projects, and the legal questions in the current digitization landscape. The document concludes by discussing the copyright and licensing framework for mass digitization, focusing the discussion on exclusive copyright rights and liability for infringement, libraries and Section 108, fair use (Section 107), orphan works, and licensing options for both direct and collective licensing. For a complete reading of the document, please visit: http://www.copyright.gov/docs/massdigitization/USCOMassDigitization_October2011.pdf ALAMY ANNOUNCES SALES EXPANSION IN AUSTRALIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST Ex-Corbis sales professional heads up expansion into the Middle East ; Alamy veteran kicks-off Australian venture Stock photo pioneer Alamy is expanding its direct sales operations with senior business development and sales staff in Australia and the Middle East. Sascha Weis, former Senior Sales Manager for North America at Corbis, is relocating to Beirut to target the editorial and commercial markets in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Dubai. Rachel Wakefield, head of sales at Alamy, commented “Sascha has over 15 years of successful international management and sales experience in our industry and an in-depth knowledge of the Middle East. Sascha will be developing direct sales, increasing brand awareness, and attracting local content in this exciting market which has not been a focus for Alamy before." Megan Bulmer, a former employee of Alamy UK who recently relocated to Australia, has re-joined the company to spearhead a drive to capture more of the market in the light of the recent Photolibrary acquisition. Rachel elaborated: “Recent acquisitions in this region have left picture buyers facing less choice and rising prices, so the Australian market is crying out for alternatives. Alamy has the world’s largest collection of stock photography and this, coupled with our first class sales and customer service experience, makes us an obvious first choice for customers." Alamy is also currently recruiting for a VP of Sales for their New York office to lead the next stage of growth and expansion in the US. Alamy’s depth and diversity appeals to both the creative and editorial industries. Alamy adds 450,000 images a month and currently has 26 million images online. The company recently launched a news, sport and entertainment service and will be offering video to customers in early 2012. GALLERY STOCK WELCOMES NEW GLOBAL STAFF New York/London Gallery Stock is the premier, global Rights-Managed image library offering creative content by some of the most distinguished and celebrated fine-art and commercial photographers in the world. Rolf Sjogren once again joins VP of Creative Amy Steigbigel as Director of Content Development. Sjogren served as Getty Images' Deputy Director of Photography for the New York creative stock division for the past 9 years and previously served ten years in creative at FPG and The Image Bank. Sjogren and Steigbigel played key roles in expanding Getty Images' photographer base, orchestrating a multi-million dollar creative shoot program to create and source imagery for the company's global content strategy and managing a team of a team of highly skilled Art Directors and Photo Editors. Anna Du joins Gallery Stock as National Account Manager for North America. A highly motivated and accomplished sales professional, Du offers 13 yrs of photo industry sales experience, including the last 6 years at Getty Images as a key account executive serving the advertising agency segment. Prior to Getty Images, she served at Amana America, Inc/Photonica & Iconica. Du will be focused on key account management, new business development, and outbound proactive selling for Gallery Stock. Gallery Stock also welcomes Jason Letteboer and Katie Vass, National Account Managers for EMEA based in London. Katie formerly held sales roles at Lonely Planet and Getty Images and Jason joins from Photolibrary and starts at Gallery Stock November 9th, 2011. On the content development front, Gallery Stock continues to grow its world-class fine art and commercial photographer base and has added 37,000 new images to its collection over the past 12 months. "It's an absolute pleasure to welcome these talented and valuable industry experts to our team. We remain dedicated to working with the most talented photographers in the world." - Howard Bernstein, CEO ICLIPART RECEIVES EDUCATION CONTRACTBrussels, ON Vital Imagery Ltd, a leader in the online subscription graphics market, has announced it was recently awarded a contact to provide a statewide online image resource for the Iowa Educators Consortium's AEA Online service. More than half a million K-12 students throughout the entire state of Iowa will be accessing VI's iCLIPART For Schools site http://schools.iclipart.com/ in the classroom. From colouring pages to learning and understanding copyright issues, the benefit to students is limitless. "iCLIPART For Schools is an exciting opportunity for teachers and students to enhance their existing curriculum," said VI's CEO Charlie Hoy. "We are proud to be able to provide them with this essential service." BOOKING FOR VISUAL CONNECTIONS CHICAGO OPEN! After another successful show in New York last month, Visual Connections returns to Chicago on April 26th, 2012 after a two year absence. In 2009, we welcomed image buyers from a broad cross-section of the industry: advertising and design : 42.0% magazines and newspapers : 9.3% book publishing: 15.4% education: 8.4% corporate/government : 6.3% other: 18.6% By comparison with our New York event, Chicago buyers attempt to get to know every exhibitor and spend more time with each of them, leading past exhibitors to comment on both the high quality of the audience and the valuable opportunity to discuss projects in depth. The event follows a similar format to New York, with a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of incentives for buyers to come along, including a keynote seminar before the exhibit floor opens, a prize drawing and complimentary beer and wine towards the end of the day. Exhibit space is available from $1,125, and advertising in the show guide from $315. Book now and select from the best exhibit spaces, and receive the maximum pre-event publicity. Find out more or contact Deborah Free at +1 585 768-7880 / deborah@visualconnections.com

  Permalink  |  View Entire Page

Search the Site

Custom Search

Blog · Discussion Group · Webmaster Tools · Advertising · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service