Getty has confirmed that they are revising their controversial $49 Web Use stock image license, in response to pressure from more than 50,000 artists from 17 different trade associations. Announced 2 weeks ago, the $49 / £39 images are available across virtually all of Getty’s editorial and creative collections. In talks with Getty Images last week, the Stock Artists Alliance (SAA) made clear that the announcement of a term reduction to three months was a positive move, but falls short of addressing their serious concerns. SAA is now ongoing an increasingly productive dialog with Getty Images specifically around the $49 license.

Stock Artists Alliance Press Release

SAA Represents Artists Groups in Dialog with Getty Images: Getty Images Pledges Revisions to $49 “web res” License to Address Concerns

Just two weeks ago, Getty Images announced their $49 “web use” license product. In response, a growing coalition of artists’ groups led by Stock Artists Alliance (SAA) has called for Getty Images to remove all Rights Managed (and Rights Ready) imagery from the scheme. The coalition continues to grow, and today represents more than 50,000 artists from 17 trade associations.

In talks with Getty Images last week, SAA made clear that the announcement of a term reduction to three months was a positive move, but falls short of addressing the serious concerns that the group raised in its communication to Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein. First among these is:

Loss of high-value digital licensing revenue. 
As major marketing budgets shift from print to digital media, this product establishes an across-the-board bargain price point on the very best images for all types of online usages. This product oversimplifies the online marketplace, mixing high-value and low-value uses together, offering $49 licenses for major global campaigns as well as small limited uses. The result is needlessly giving up licensing revenues from commercial and high-end uses.

Other anticipated consequences are:
A devaluation of RM licensing.
Offering the very best images at a bargain price point communicates to customers that all images, even the very best and most creative, are all worth the same.

Erosion of prices across the board. 
Once customers can obtain a major use license of an RM image at this cost, they will likely question the validity of being charged significantly higher rates for other uses of top shelf images.

Reduced recovery value for infringed images. 
Low values established for web uses will have a serious impact on the valuation of claims for copyright infringement and lost/damaged originals, and dampen efforts to pursue infringers. 

Reduced return for photographers.
The impact of the above adds further strain on the viability of independent photographers’ businesses. Their declining participation in stock means that less of the freshest, most creative images will be available to customers.

With the full support of fellow artists’ groups, SAA is now ongoing an increasingly productive dialog with Getty Images specifically around the $49 product, and more broadly about the challenge of how RM licensing can evolve to grow the online usage revenues.

While the group continues its call for removal of RM and RR images entirely, there is progress to report. Getty Images has confirmed that they are now working on revisions to the $49 product, which they believe will alleviate the key concern that it be restricted to short-term, highly limited, low-value usages and does not provide a substitute for high-value commercial and advertising online use licenses.

Broader discussions have also begun around the need for a comprehensive approach of innovation and refinement of traditional RM licensing systems. We concur with Getty Images’ assessment that online media customers need more images, more quickly, more simply and at appropriate price points, and acknowledge that lower-cost products may attract new customers who would not otherwise license traditional stock photography. We continue to believe however that this does not translate into the need to give away broad rights to the best images for bargain prices.

Growing Coalition of Artists Groups
As of today, the SAA led coalition includes associations representing over 50,000 professional artists including photographers, filmmakers, illustrators and digital artists who have come together on this issue:

Stock Artists Alliance (SAA)
American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)
Association of Photographers (AOP)
Advertising Photographers of America (APA)
Editorial Photographers (EP)
Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communications (CAPIC)
National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)
Illustrators’ Partnership of America (IPA)
Association of Swedish Professional Photographers (SFF)
International Association of Architectural Photographers (IAAP)
Australian Commercial and Media Photographers (ACMP)
Advertising & Illustrative Photographers Association of New Zealand (AIPA)
Bureau of Freelance Photographers (BFP)
Professional Photographers of Southern Africa (PPSA)
Graphic Arts Guild (GAG)
Pyramide Europe-Pyramide France, Spain, Finland, Greece, UK & Ireland, Netherlands
FREELENS

Read other releases and related information to this issue:
http://www.stockartistsalliance.org/info/news/news_Getty.htm

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